'Nightmare, utter waffle, and unimpressive' - Ireland reacts to first presidential debate

 The first Presidential debate took place between the three candidates hoping to win the race to the Áras last night on Virgin Media, but it appears it did not go as they had hoped. 

Catherine Connolly (IND), Jim Gavin (FF), and Heather Humphries (FG) discussed a number of topics including Gaza, neutrality, and the meaning of the Irish flag. 

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People across Ireland were quick to share their thoughts on social media - and it appears they were left feeling unimpressed. 

The debate has been described as a "nightmare," "utter waffle," and "unimpressive." 

If people were honest they would say all three candidates had a nightmare last night. They spent more time talking about other countries and policy’s they can’t change, it’s just more student fantasy politics. #TonightMTV #presidentialdebate

— seán (@bottom_irish) September 30, 2025

I wanted Jim to do well. He is a good man and has done a lot for his country and his community. However, all three candidates were awful, full of platitudes and utter waffle. The debate was a tough watch. I won't be voting! #Aras25 #presidentialdebate #TonightVMTV

— CH8412 (@cmh8412) September 30, 2025

Unimpressive, uninformed and way out of his depth, by Jim Gavin on tonight’s #presidentialdebate Well done you couldn’t have chosen much worse.

— Susan from Dublin (@susanf100) September 29, 2025

Many people have described the debate as boring too and said they fell asleep during it.

Newstalk Breakfast's Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly also reacted to the debate this morning and had fellow broadcaster Alison O'Connor on to share her thoughts. 

"I wondered halfway through how many viewers were still viewing... There were times it was difficult to keep concentrating," Alison said. 

Ciara and Alison watched the debate with teenagers, one who is 19 and another who is a first-time voter.

The teenager Ciara watched with said they were "all the same" but would have said Heather Humphries won because she "stuttered and stammered less than the other two," while Alison's teenager said Catherine Connolly won the debate.

Social media seems to say Connelly did the best, but there is definitely no clear winner.

#Presidentialdebate is trending on Irish X, so check that out if you want to see more reactions.