CANDIDATE PROFILE 1: HEATHER HUMPHREYS

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Heather Humphreys is a 64-year-old mother of two, who met her husband Eric, a farmer, at a local dance.

- BY GRAINNE NI AODHA

They have several grandchildrenincluding James, who was born in the weeks before polling day.

She is a Presbyterian who grew up on a farm outside a village called Drum, located at the Cavan-Monaghan border, with her two younger brothers.

Her grandfather signed the Ulster Covenant, a document opposing Home Rule in 1912, and her father was a member of the Orange Order.

On a podcast with former president Mary McAleese earlier this year, Ms Humphreys said of her grandfather's decision that it was the norm for the Protestant population as there was a fear of change.