Recently-installed Irish President Catherine Connolly has faced a torrent of criticism over her maiden St Patrick’s Day address, during which she was accused of twisting history and insulting Christianity all in one go.
President Connolly, a self-described socialist who was elected to the largely ceremonial Irish presidency in October, marked the occasion of the anniversary of the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, with an a-historical attempt to appropriate his life and message to serve her globalist open borders ideology.
In her message, appearing in a dark blue suit, without any green about her person, Connolly compared St Patrick to modern day migrants, whom she claims make “invaluable contributions” to Irish society despite often facing “great adversity”.
However, according to accounts, St Patrick was first brought to Ireland from neighbouring Britain as a slave before later returning to the island as a bishop and missionary with the aim of converting the Irish to Christianity.
Meanwhile, the Irish President also appeared to have intentionally refused to refer to the Apostle of Ireland as a saint, only using the word when referring to “St Patrick’s Day” while referring to the historical saint merely as “Patrick” throughout her video message.
“The story of Patrick’s life serves as a reminder of the resilience and courage of migrants,” Connolly said.
“As we recall the life of Patrick, we invoke his spirit and acknowledge our shared responsibilities as global citizens. We stand in solidarity with those who find themselves in vulnerable and dangerous circumstances,” she continued.
“Patrick’s story invites us to respond with hospitality and kindness to those suffering the consequences of war and displacement, those fleeing their countries because of persecution or violence.”
The address drew strong pushback, including from Irish entrepreneur Declan Ganley, the founder of the eurosceptic Libertas party and organiser of last year’s grassroots campaign to spoil ballots during the election that Connolly won after multiple high-profile candidates were left off the ballot as the Dublin establishment closed ranks.
“St. Patrick was not some leftie NGO. There is nothing sacred to these oddballs, not even our patron saint and the Christian faith he brought to our shores,” Ganley said.
Backlash also came from across the Atlantic, including from Irish American actor James Woods, who remarked: “Ireland is on the edge, staring into the abyss. So sad.”
The open borders ethos has had major ramifications for Ireland, which faced such large scale migration in recent years that one in five residents on the island were born abroad. Connolly has long been a proponent of such migration, and has previously faced criticism for declaring that Ireland “needs workers” in response to the alleged rape of a 10 year old girl by an asylum seeker in Dublin last year.
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