Presidential hopeful Heather Humphreys has stated that “much more that unites rather than divides” communities, during a visit to a Belfast school, reports Breaking News.
Ms Humphreys, who continues her campaign to succeed Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin alongside Catherine Connolly, spent the day in Northern Ireland’s capital. Her visit came after former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin withdrew from the race, leaving just two candidates.
She stopped at St Dominic’s Grammar School, located on the Falls Road in Belfast — a school once attended by former Irish president Mary McAleese.
In August, fellow candidate Ms Connolly also visited Belfast, where she was hosted by People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, reports Breaking News.
Speaking to reporters following her school visit, which included meetings with staff and students, Ms Humphreys said she greatly valued speaking with the pupils — young women she hopes will one day lead the country.
During her time there, she was introduced to a shared education initiative in which St Dominic’s partners with Friends School in Lisburn to explore shared historical narratives, reports Breaking News.
Their collaborative work focuses on the events of 1916, specifically the Battle of the Somme — a major First World War battle involving many Northern Irish soldiers — and the Easter Rising in Dublin, a landmark moment in the Republic’s struggle for independence.
Ms Humphreys described it as a “most enjoyable morning”.
“I discussed cooperation with other schools, and there is a cross-community project going ahead on 2016, which is the commemorations of the 1916 Rising and also World War One; they’ve worked very closely together .. there is so much more to unite us than divide us,” she said, reports Breaking News.
Coming from a Protestant background and raised in Monaghan, a border county, Ms Humphreys described herself as someone committed to unity, bridge-building, and continuing Mary McAleese’s legacy of “reaching out the hand of friendship”, reports Breaking News.
Even though people in Northern Ireland cannot vote in the Irish presidential election, Ms Humphreys said her visit still held significance.
“It’s important that I come here, and it’s important that I am in this school where Mary McAleese, the last Ulster woman who was president of Ireland, and in fact the first Ulster woman who was president of Ireland, (attended),” she said, reports Breaking News.
“As you know, I am an Ulster woman as well, and I will be very privileged and very honoured to be the second Ulster woman to be Uachtaráin na hÉireann. It is important to speak to young people because if our future is ever to be unified we must work with young people, and that’s something that I am very committed to doing, and if elected as president, I want to bring young people through a schools programme from Northern Ireland and from the Republic of Ireland together,” reports Breaking News.
She acknowledged the complexities of the constitutional issue and said she personally knows many unionists who “also see the benefits of working together”, reports Breaking News.
“I only live six miles from the border, and I come from a minority tradition in Co Monaghan, and I feel I can speak to people, and I do understand the differences, and it’s only through conversations that we can deepen the understanding of communities and bring them together,” she added, reports Breaking News.
Later in the day, Ms Humphreys also visited both Ulster University and Queen’s University in Belfast and held discussions with local community organisations.
Catherine Connolly, Ms Humphreys’ sole rival in the presidential race, also visited Belfast earlier, on August 28th, where she was welcomed by People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, reports Breaking News.
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