The two candidates in the Presidential Election have made pitches to undecided voters in the final TV debate of the campaign.
Independent Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys took part in the debate on RTÉ's Prime Time.
The candidates were quizzed on a number of issues including foreign affairs, immigration and the Irish language.
The candidates clashed on Ms Connolly's work representing banks in repossession cases - a Fine Gael attack line that has dominated recent discourse.
The Independent candidate confirmed that she did act for credit institutions and denied that she had avoided answering the question.
Ms Humphreys repeatedly pushed her on whether she worked on repossessions cases and accused her of hypocrisy in criticising banks in the Dáil and at council level.
Ms Connolly lobbed it back at her opponent calling the allegation "extraordinary" adding that the courts made decisions based on government policy which allowed them to repossess.
The Fine Gael candidate rounded on her rival with an accusation that she was "talking out of both sides of her mouth".
Connolly defends stance on foreign affairs, Humphreys quizzed on Gaza
Given the president of Ireland will represent the country both at home and abroad, it is inevitable foreign affairs will be a key part of the role.
Ms Connolly said recently that she believes the EU has lost its moral compass "if it ever had one" and was asked for her view of this and further criticism about the US, Britain, France and Germany.
Ms Connolly said: "It's very important as a small country that we speak truth to power", referencing what she said is the genocide in Gaza "unfolding before our eyes".
Read more: Updates as they happened
She said "any sensible person in Ireland would have to be concerned at the money going into the increasing militarisation of Europe".
Ms Humphreys was separately asked if she had ever been critical of the EU or if she just agrees with everything in the EU.
While saying "I'm very European" and that she had voted in favour of treaties "unlike Catherine", Ms Humphreys did not give a specific example other than to say "Europe should have acted sooner on Gaza".
However, she added that being part of Europe means that people are allowed to disagree on matters and find solutions, and she stressed how important the EU was to Ireland during Brexit.
Still on foreign affairs, Ms Humphreys was asked if the US government has "enabled genocide" in Gaza, and said "what happened in Gaza was wrong" and that she was part of a Government "that recognised the Palestinian state".
Ms Connolly was asked if she would criticise US President Donald Trump about Gaza if he comes to Ireland. She said: "I will meet anyone Government invites into the country."
She said it would "depend what's on the agenda" of the meeting, and whether it would be "a meet and greet" or a specific discussion on genocide, saying again that she may have personal views but will perform her duties in any formal role.
Candidates asked about attitude towards fox hunting
One topic that has exploded on social media is the attitude of Ms Humphreys to fox hunting.
Again tonight, she said she supports rural pursuits as long as controls are in place.
This drew an interesting response from Ms Connolly who did not condemn the activity outright, instead she said she had "great difficulty with it".
But in comments that appeared deliberately targeted at rural dwellers, she said that foxes are not a protected species and are also a threat, adding that there should be controls in a broader way in terms of ecology.
Woman with gun conviction could not 'walk around the Dáil' - Connolly
Ms Connolly said that a woman with a gun conviction she hired could not "walk around the Dáil on her own".
Ms Humphreys had said "you can't have rehabilitation without accountability" in relation to the hiring of the woman, an issue which has been raised several times during the campaign.
Ms Humphreys said: "What we need to know is, why did this woman get access to our national parliament, to Dáil Éireann, without the necessary garda clearance?"
Ms Connolly said: "TDs sign in people all the time. I signed her in and signed her out.
"She can't walk around the Dáil on her own. She gets a pass every single day. She has to be accompanied by me going around. She has to be in my office. She cannot walk around the Dáil."
Humphreys asked about Irish language, Connolly pressed on Syria trip
Ms Connolly was pressed on a controversial trip she made to Syria in 2018 in which she encountered pro-Assad figures, including a militia leader accused of starving Palestinian refugees.
She insisted she had not been naive to participate in the trip.
"There was no naivety on my part in relation to a dictatorship, the Syrian regime," she said.
"I've never had any doubts about the Syrian dictatorship, unlike countries that supported it."
Meanwhile, the Irish language is a topic that Ms Connolly has made central to her campaign.
The Galway West TD is a dedicated Gaeilgeoir while her opponent reneged on a previous promise to learn Irish when she was made minister for the Gaeltacht.
Essentially Ms Humphreys said she was busy with Brexit adding that she would love to speak more Irish but lacks confidence. She broke into a brief sentence as Gaeilge.
For her part, Ms Connolly said she had never criticised anyone for not having Irish. But she made a point of stressing her view on the importance of the native language to the presidential role.
Scenes of protesters in Citywest raised
The question of immigration was raised, and the scenes of protesting in Citywest in Dublin tonight.
Ms Humphreys said she wanted to be a "president that brings people together, breaks down pre-conceived notions" and uses "the Áras as a place for safe conversations and to build bridges".
Ms Humphreys also said "we need immigrants in this country" to work in various roles in Ireland, adding that those who "come here legally" are welcome and those who do not "need to go back to their own countries".
Ms Connolly said what was happening in Saggart was "very upsetting actually".
She said "in relation to division, we need to be careful in this country" about the divisions emerging.
