John Connolly is a blogger who gained international attention after publicising the statutory rape conviction of Ezra Nawi, the former partner of Senator David Norris, who was at the time of Connolly's intervention the front-runner in the 2011 Irish presidential race. Connolly also highlighted the assistance Norris had provided to Ezra Nawi and his associates with their legal difficulties in Israel.[1] Connolly's intervention drew both scorn (due to an alleged political agenda) and praise (for bringing about "the first major victory of the Irish blogosphere", as described by the Irish Independent).[2]