DUBLIN, Ireland: President Michael D. Higgins has extended his best wishes of "health and happiness" to President-elect Catherine Connolly as he welcomed her to Áras an Uachtaráin on November 5.

Connolly and her husband, Brian McEnery, were invited to the President's official residence for a lunchtime meeting following her election victory last month.

She was accompanied by her son, Stephen, as well as members of her campaign team, including campaign manager Beibhinn O'Connor. The Connolly McEnery family signed the visitor's book during their visit to the Áras.

Higgins and his wife, Sabina, greeted Connolly and her husband warmly with hugs and handshakes. The President congratulated his successor on her "great achievement," with the pair exchanging words in both English and Irish in front of the media.

Higgins and Connolly shared a light-hearted moment, joking about whether they should link arms and raise their hands for photos, and also noted the importance of the media, thanking those present.

Connolly, a former barrister from Galway, secured 63 percent of first-preference votes in a landslide win in the October 24 election. After her victory, she pledged to serve as "a president for all" and to be "a voice for peace."

Higgins has been President since 2011 and was re-elected in 2018. Connolly will become Ireland's 10th President when she is inaugurated on November 11. The two have had a somewhat complicated political history, as Connolly left the Labour Party in 2007 after it decided to field only one candidate — Higgins — in Galway West for the general election.

Despite the past tension, the meeting was friendly, filled with smiles and laughter. Presidential terms last seven years, and office-holders may serve two terms if re-elected. Connolly has said she does not expect to seek a second term — though her predecessor once expressed similar sentiments before running again.