Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys was defeated by left-wing independent Catherine Connolly in Ireland’s presidential election this weekend.

Ms Humphreys is a Presbyterian who was raised on a rural farm near the border.

She attended Orange Order parades as a child but stopped going when the Troubles broke out.

Ms Humphreys said her family was the target of abuse during the campaign.

She told RTE: “My family and I, but especially my family, were subjected to some absolutely awful sectarian abuse and I was disappointed because, as a country, I thought we had moved on from that.

“I think there needs to be a greater understanding of other traditions in this country, and perhaps that’s something that maybe I can contribute towards because there is a lot of misunderstanding out there, and if we

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