# Catherine Connolly

Catherine Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish independent politician who served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the 33rd Dáil from July 2020 to November 2024. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She served as Chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands from 2016 to 2020 and Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005.
Connolly is a patron of the People's Movement.

## Galway politics

Connolly was first elected to Galway City Council in the city west local electoral area at the 1999 Galway Corporation election and then re-elected in the city south local electoral area at the 2004 Galway City Council election. In the same year she was elected Mayor of Galway.
She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006, when she was denied her wish to contest the Galway West constituency as running mate of Michael D. Higgins. She contested the 2007 general election as an independent candidate, polling just over 2,000 votes.
Her sister, Colette, a former Galway City Councillor, was co-opted to replace her on Galway City Council when she was elected a TD.

## National politics

Connolly contested the 2011 general election again in Galway West, where she lost out on the last seat to Fine Gael's Seán Kyne by only 17 votes. She sought a full recount, which concluded after four days but did not change the outcome.
She was elected to the Dáil for the Galway West constituency at the 2016 general election.
She voted for Richard Boyd Barrett for Taoiseach when the 32nd Dáil first met. At the 32nd Dáil's second meeting on 5 April 2016, she made her maiden speech in which she criticised the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly's handling of Ireland's homelessness crisis. Connolly sat on the Public Accounts Committee and was Chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands.
Connolly contested the 2020 general election. She was re-elected on the 12th count.

### Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann

Connolly was elected the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann on 23 July 2020, in a surprise victory over Fine Gael candidate Fergus O'Dowd, and was the first woman to hold the position.
In January 2021, Connolly criticised the Government for their handling of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters). Referring to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as the "three unwise men", she was critical of the Government's failure to provide survivors of mother and baby homes the report before it was released to the general public. Connolly stated: "This document I have to hand is what the report looks like. I hold it up to show survivors because they do not have it. It is the executive summary with the recommendations and one or two other things. Not a single survivor has it. I have it since yesterday, when it was put in the pigeonholes of Deputies."
In June 2023 Connolly appeared alongside Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, Mairéad Farrell and George Galloway in a "Neutrality forum" hosted by the organisation "Galway Alliance Against War" where the topic for discussion was the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In May 2024, during the campaign for the 2024 European Parliament election, Connolly endorsed Clare Daly in the Dublin constituency.

## Personal life

Originally from Shantalla, Connolly has lived in the Claddagh since 1988, and is married with two children. A barrister by profession, she also previously worked as a clinical psychologist, with the Western Health Board in Ballinasloe, Galway and Connemara. She is a Gaeilgeoir.