TEHRAN – Ireland’s new president, Catherine Connolly, represents more than just a change of face in a ceremonial office. Her election, with a record-breaking majority, reflects a deeper shift in Irish society — one that is increasingly skeptical of the West, critical of Israel, and determined to assert its own independent path.

Connolly has made clear that she intends to use the presidency to speak out on issues that matter to her voters. Chief among them is Palestine. Ireland recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024, a move that led Israel to withdraw its ambassador from Dublin. That decision was not an isolated gesture; it was the culmination of years of public anger in Ireland over Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Large protests filled the streets of Dublin and Galway during the war, with demonstrators condemning what they saw as the collective punishment of civilians. For many Irish people, the images from Gaza echoed their own history of famine, colonization, and forced emigration. Connolly has tapped into that sentiment, calling the normalization of war and genocide “unacceptable.”

Western media often downplays the scale of anti-Israel feeling in Ireland, portraying it as fringe activism. In reality, it has become mainstream. The government has pursued laws to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements, and Connolly herself has spoken of genocide in terms that leave little doubt about where she stands. Her language is sharper than her predecessor Michael D. Higgins, who criticized Israeli policies but kept his tone within the bounds of humanitarian law.

Connolly is more direct, and her voters expect her to be. Her criticism does not stop at Israel. Connolly has openly challenged the United States, Britain, France, and the European Union. She has accused them of militarization and of pursuing policies that normalize war. This is striking because Ireland has long cultivated close ties with Washington, especially under Joe Biden, who leaned on his Irish heritage. But that relationship has cooled. U.S. officials see Ireland as benefiting from American defense spending while refusing to join NATO. Trump has threatened to pull back U.S. investment from Ireland’s low-tax economy. Against this backdrop, Connolly’s election looks like a popular rebuke to Western power.

The European Union, too, is not spared. Connolly has criticized its growing military ambitions, even as Ireland prepares to take on the rotating EU presidency (from July to December 2026). Her stance resonates with a public that values neutrality and peacekeeping over military alliances. Ireland’s refusal to send weapons to Ukraine, while hosting tens of thousands of refugees, reflects this balance: humanitarian solidarity without militarization.

Connolly’s victory is therefore more than symbolic. It signals that Ireland is willing to chart a course that diverges from the West. The anti-Israel protests, the recognition of Palestine, the skepticism toward NATO and U.S. power — all of these currents have now found a voice in the presidency. While the office is limited in formal powers, Connolly’s overwhelming mandate gives her moral authority. She embodies an Ireland that is tired of being told to fall in line with Washington or Brussels, and that wants to speak with its own voice on issues of justice and peace.

Western media may frame her as radical or disruptive. But in Ireland, her election feels like the natural outcome of years of frustration: with housing crises at home, with endless wars abroad, and with a global order that seems blind to the suffering in Gaza. Connolly’s presidency is not just about her. It is about a country that is increasingly willing to say no to the West, and yes to a different vision of solidarity.