Catherine Connolly pleads for change 'immediately' before major four day visit

The Galway native officially opened the 95th edition of the National Ploughing Championships in Offaly on Tuesday before flying to meet First Minister John Swinney on Wednesday.

Connolly has previously told about the ‘strong ties’ between Ireland and Scotland which she hopes to strengthen when meeting Mr Swinney at his official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh.

But before her Scottish trip, President Connolly had the big matter of launching the Ploughing on site in Screggan at 12 noon as crowds of nearly 80,000 people gathered - a platform she used to drive home a message about climate change.

President Connolly was introduced by NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh and she began her speech by expressing her joy at being in attendance at the Ploughing.

She said: “It’s lovely to be back here at the National Ploughing Championships, I was here last year for the very first time and I got a very educational tour so it’s a real privilege to be able to return here as the 10th president of Ireland.”

The president also reflected on the history of the National Ploughing Championships and the growth it has experienced over nearly a century.

“It’s been 95 years since the first ploughing in Athy, it has grown from a small field of over 20 acres to the 700 acres we see today. It has evolved over a century to become one of the biggest agricultural events in the world in the process. It is a real celebration of Ireland.”

She continued: “Autumn is a special time in the Celtic calendar. In Ireland, our connection with the land is visceral, it’s in our history and it’s embedded in the people so I want to acknowledge the hard work that goes towards that and we can celebrate it today as a result.”

During President Connolly’s address, she took the opportunity to highlight the lack of action taken on tackling climate change as well as Ireland’s reliance on food imports.

Connolly stated: “Unfortunately, the Ploughing Championships this year take place against unprecedented global heating due to climate change, causing the extreme weather we see all around us.”

She highlighted recent findings made by the Climate Advisory Council in its annual report which showed that Ireland experienced one of its hottest summers since records began.

“Significantly, as a country, we were to the forefront in declaring a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency seven years ago, in May 2019 with a commitment to taking transformative action.”

She added: "Regrettably, the stark statistics coming from a wide range of sources tell us that that action has not taken place.”

Aside from the the statistics on Climate, she also pinpointed the analysis of food imports and exports which she referred to as “equally worrying.”

Connolly said: “Ireland’s food supply and distribution is highly dependent on imports and vulnerable to a range of external disruptions and risks, including conflicts and the impacts of extreme weather on inputs and supply change.

She added: It is urgent that we begin to take the transformative change needed to build a sustainable and food-secure future. It’s crystal clear that we cannot continue with business as usual and farmers have to be part of the process.”

President Connolly concluded her speech by saying: “I wish you all the very best and thank you for the work you have done here, I’ve highlighted all the damning statistics but there’s hope in these reports for a sustainable future with farmers and communities at the heart of that change.”

The Scottish visit comes after Mr Swinney met President Connolly at her official residence in Dublin in November last year, when he was the first overseas leader to see her after her inauguration.

At that visit the SNP leader invited the Irish President to Scotland.

During her time in Scotland she will also receive an honorary fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, before learning more about a project funded by both them and the Royal Irish Academy that works to help deaf victims of gender-based violence in rural areas.

Over the course of the visit, the Irish Present will travel to Glasgow, Coatbridge and the Isle of Skye, where she will visit Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland’s National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture.

Speaking ahead of the visit, President Connolly said: “I am very pleased to have the opportunity of making an official visit to Scotland and building on my engagement with the First Minister in the opening weeks of my presidency.”

She added: “Ireland and Scotland are bound by strong ties of friendship, culture and language, with people moving between our countries for centuries.

“I am very much looking forward to meeting with those involved in many of the projects bringing our people together over the coming days, as well as meeting with members of the Irish community in Scotland.”

Mr Swinney meanwhile said he was “honoured” to welcome President Connolly to Scotland as he stressed the “deep and enduring connections” between their nations.

The Scottish First Minister added he is “determined to build on and strengthen” these links, saying they “enrich our societies and create opportunities for people in both countries”.

He said: “It was a privilege to be the first head of government to meet the new President last year. During that meeting, I set out my aim to strengthen cooperation in areas that matter to both our nations.

“This week’s visit by the President makes it clear this is a shared ambition and demonstrates the closeness between our two nations.

“I look forward to discussing future opportunities that will be underpinned by our renewed bilateral framework and our shared commitment to peace, equality and international solidarity.”

Earlier this year, President Connolly made an official visit to London and Leeds, meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, and she has also made two official visits to Northern Ireland, while in June she met the First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth.