Presidential candidates Heather Humphreys and Catherine Connolly have clashed over the cost-of-living, housing and migration in the latest election debate.
During the debate on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the candidates touched on their political records, their views on housing, immigration and uniting Ireland.
Independent candidate Catherine Connolly said she has demonstrated responsibility all her life although she was not in Government, but hoped the movement around her now will shape a different republic.
Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys said she went into Government and took tough decisions, not having the luxury of "sitting in opposition talking about things".
On housing, Ms Humphreys said she regretted governments she was in did not get more houses built, while Ms Connolly said the housing crisis was a consequence of Government policy.
On migration, Ms Humphreys said Ireland is a land of opportunity and workers are needed, but asylum seekers denied status need to be returned.
Ms Connolly said language that 'Ireland is full' is disturbing and unacceptable.
Listen to the Morning Ireland debate in full
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Ms Connolly said she was not aware of the militia or regime links of a man who escorted her group around a Palestinian refugee camp on a visit to Syria in 2018.
The Irish Times has reported that one of the men Ms Connolly met in Syria was a leader of a group charged with killing Palestinians in a refugee camp.
Asked if she was aware of this, Ms Connolly said: "No, I wasn't."
She said: "You have no control when you go to a country like that as to who will come into your presence or not.
"That's no endorsement of the regime. I'm on record for condemning the regime, I did not meet with [then-president Bashar Al] Assad."
Ms Connolly said she went to deepen her understanding of the experiences of the Palestinian refugees and discovered that the camp was "utterly destroyed".
She insisted that she had met Palestinians who "spoke to us as openly as they could within a dictatorship".
Heather Humphreys defended her dealings with the O'Farrell family whose son was killed by a drunk driver in 2011.
Ms O'Farrell has been been critical of the former minister's level of support for her campaign for justice for her late son Shane, who was hit by a car driven by a man who should have been in jail.
Ms Humphreys said she made representations to justice ministers at the time and added: "I made representations on her behalf. I'm sorry that she says I didn't do enough. I'm sorry if that's the case. I really am, but I did my best."
Pressed on why she did not support a vote for a public inquiry, Ms Humphreys said she voted with the government.
"There was reason behind that. I don't know exactly the detail of it."
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Ms Humphreys suggested Irish unification could involve the retention of a devolved parliament at Stormont.
She insisted that people in Northern Ireland who have a British identity had "nothing to fear" from constitutional change, as the Presbyterian from Co Monaghan highlighted her own experience as part of a "minority community" in the Republic of Ireland.
"You could be talking about devolved government in Northern Ireland as part of an overall Irish solution," Ms Humphreys said when asked how a British identity would be reflected within a united Ireland.
"Those are all conversations that we have to have. And there's no point in pre-empting anything before you go in, you talk to people.
Galway TD Ms Connolly said a reunified Ireland would have to "respect and value differences".
"I will do that as president in as much as I can," she added.
Ms Connolly said the Government was not doing enough to examine the issues around unification as she claimed a report on constitutional change compiled by an Oireachtas committee had been left "sitting on a shelf".
"My vision as president will be to reach out to communities on all sides," she said.
"I've visited Northern Ireland repeatedly, I visited different communities.
"I will facilitate open forums in relation to listening and building on the work that's ongoing. It's really important, the meticulous, methodical work that is ongoing by civic organisations on the ground.
"What's lacking is a government response. There was a cross-party committee that reported last year. That report is sitting on a shelf.
"That committee asked the Government to prepare a green paper to outline the issues and outline the direction for a united Ireland.
"That hasn't happened unfortunately," Ms Connolly said.
This time next week, voting in the Presidential Election will be under way and the remaining days of the campaign are now crucial for the candidates to make their case to voters.
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Additional reporting: PA
