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Catherine Connolly, a veteran lawmaker on the far left of the Irish political spectrum, was elected president by a wide margin on Saturday in a stinging rebuke to the recently re-elected centre-right coalition. A long-time critic of the European Union in overwhelmingly pro-EU Ireland, she is backed by the left-dominated opposition. Ms. Connolly was not a household name and was underestimated by many at the start of the contest for the largely ceremonial role.

In long-welcoming Ireland, racist violence rears its head