All-female presidential race, yet power remains male?

The unusual shortlist has already sparked debate about representation, voter engagement, and what it could mean for Ireland’s future — both at home and on the European stage.

Who better to weigh in on this “female grand finale” than women who study politics and understand the significance of such a historic moment? The Cork Independent spoke to Dr Fiona Buckley, senior lecturer in the Department of Government and Politics at UCC, and Dr Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan, senior lecturer in European Politics in the Department of Government at UCC, to get their insights.

“Following Mary Robinson's election as president in 1990, we saw the number of women running in the 1992 general election increase significantly — it rose by 71%,” highlighted Dr Buckley. A legislative gender quota was introduced in 2012 to ensure at least 40% of candidates are men and at least 40% are women.

“However, women are still under-represented in Irish politics — currently there are 44 women TDs among the 174 TDs in Dáil Éireann,” she added.

Election studies suggest that voters are not biased against women candidates, so why are women still underrepresented?

“When we examine women's candidacy for the most recent general elections in 2020 and 2024, we see evidence of parties barely meeting their obligations under the legislative gender quota,” explained Dr Buckley.

“Some added women to the ticket very late in the campaign, limiting their chances of a successful run, or placed them in constituencies where the party had little chance of winning. Parties have a huge role to play in addressing this under-representation.”

Over the past 35 years, almost half of presidential candidates have been women. Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese broke the male domination of the office, using the soft power of the presidency to shine a light on important issues. “Two previous female presidents revived and energised the role of president, and while the role is limited in political power, they used its soft power with skill,” noted Dr Buckley.

When it comes to the idea of a female taoiseach, the public seems ready. “According to last year’s National Election and Democracy Study (NEDS), 80% of respondents said they would feel very comfortable having a woman taoiseach, while only 4% disagreed. Most people would be happy to see a woman hold the most powerful political office in the land,” concluded Dr Buckley.

Dr Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan, however, is less impressed with the current presidential race. “It is a very underwhelming presidential campaign. Having just two candidates isn’t representative of the range of ideas, concerns, or interests that people have. And I think that will really affect voter turnout on Friday.”

“Everyone I’ve spoken to seems quite disappointed with this presidential race compared to previous ones, where you’d have six or seven candidates. Those campaigns were lively, interesting, sometimes messy or even a bit dirty — but at least they represented a wide range of personalities, policies, and public concerns.”

She is also realistic about the role of the president. “Their influence is extremely limited. And what limits it even more is that once they’re elected, whatever they say publicly is monitored or framed by the Government. Whether it’s Catherine Connolly or Heather Humphreys, they will represent Ireland according to what the Government wants them to say. Ultimately, it’s the Taoiseach who sits in the European Council.”

Yet Dr Schon-Quinlivan is optimistic about Ireland’s role on the European stage. “Ireland will probably continue to play more of a moral leadership role — as we’ve seen, for instance, in its early and principled stance on Gaza. Even French newspapers highlighted how Ireland took that moral leadership position very quickly.”

Support for the EU remains high. “If you look at the Eurobarometer statistics, Ireland consistently ranks first or second among EU countries in terms of support for the Union and its institutions. The level of support is usually in the 80% range, which is remarkably high.”

At the same time, Ireland faces broader challenges in Europe.

Far right rise

“Ireland is in a very interesting position because it doesn’t have an extreme right-wing party. It doesn’t have a party that stands on an anti-migration or xenophobic platform. That’s unusual compared to the rest of the EU. Across Europe, far-right or populist parties tend to combine anti-migrant and Eurosceptic narratives and position themselves as anti-establishment movements.”

“We have seen a rise in protests against migrant centres and the arrival of migrants — certainly growing anti-migrant sentiment — but it isn’t politically articulated at the moment. In Ireland, that hasn’t happened yet. No direct political articulation of anti-migrant sentiment exists, though parties like Fine Gael — and to some extent Fianna Fáil — may have adopted more right-wing ideas. But if a charismatic leader ever manages to unite those sentiments, then yes — Ireland could face the same challenges as other EU countries. For now, that catalyst simply doesn’t exist.”

Dr Schon-Quinlivan is excited about Ireland’s upcoming influence in Europe. “It is set to take over the Presidency of the Council of Ministers from 1 July 2026 until 31 December 2026. That will give Ireland a strong hand — not full control, of course — but real influence over the policy agenda during that period.”