Overview

• An Irish Times/Ipsos B&A snapshot shows Catherine Connolly at 38% and Heather Humphreys at about 20% with one week until voting.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Connolly met figures involved in the persecution of Palestinians, and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris called for a full cost breakdown after saying taxpayers funded the trip.
• Connolly defended the 2018 visit as a fact‑finding mission, said she did not meet Bashar Assad, and argued that engaging with officials does not equal endorsement.
• Humphreys escalated her campaign with a centrist pitch, a public endorsement from former candidate Seán Gallagher, outreach to councillors across parties, and a critique that Connolly used “the language of Nigel Farage.”
• PR tracking by Everhaze reports Connolly leading Humphreys in local radio head‑to‑heads, while withdrawn Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin remains on the ballot and his votes will be counted.