Voters throughout the Republic of Eire are casting their ballots to elect the nation’s subsequent president, who will succeed present head of state Michael D. Higgins as Eire’s tenth president. Though Jim Gavin has withdrawn from the race, his title stays on the poll alongside the 2 remaining contenders, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys. The Director of Analysis on the Institute of Worldwide and European Affairs in Dublin, Dr. Barry Colfer, offers his insights on this election.[/gpt3]