The Candidate

Is Ireland on the brink of another wave of public protest, or will it fizzle out, as so often before? Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy explore why movements like water charges and Repeal caught fire, and why complex crises like housing still struggle to spark mass mobilisation. They also examine the blurred line between protest and personal abuse, and what rising tens...

Anticipation had been growing for months over what the government's new rent plan would deliver. Could it bring about solutions that really help renters and ease the pressure they are under? Could it keep landlords happy at the same time? Housing Minister James Browne rolled out his reform of rent pressure zones yesterday — but what he says it will deliver and what it actually does don't exactly l...

As one of our reporters read through an open letter on Gaza penned by Ciarán Mullooly, one detail stood out: a bizarre reference to Swedish House Mafia. A spokesperson for the journalist-turned-MEP quickly confirmed that artificial intelligence was used to generate portions of the letter. But surely he's not alone in using ChatGPT et al during his official duties? This is a case where it went badl...

It’s the country’s most high-profile workplace, but is Leinster House actually designed to get anything done? What does a week in Irish politics actually look like? This week, we examine what life in the Dáil is really like, and the heady mix of routine, power, and pantomime that make it a dysfunctional place to work. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews are joined by someone who is...

Minister James Browne has been in the housing hot seat for four months — and with not much to show for it, he's now facing intense criticism. Is it justified, or just a symptom of political impatience with the biggest crisis in government? Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy debate his performance so far and whether he’s being given a fair chance. Also: Should 16-year-o...

This week, we look across the Irish Sea to Keir Starmer's decision to lean Labour into much blunter rhetoric around immigration. Back home, a similar policy shift is happening, but behind a much quieter tone. How are both countries are handling political pressure on migration, and is Ireland is heading in the same direction, just with fewer dog whistles? Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Rónán Duff...

Ireland’s position on Israel and Gaza is clearer than ever, with strong condemnation and urgent calls for action. Although the country remains at the forefront of calls for the destruction to end, the actual impact of all this is harder to spot. How can the government be more effective? Or is it too late, and some of its best chances have already passed by? Sinéad O'Carroll, Christina Finn, Jane M...

Kneecap have never been strangers to controversy, but they have now been pushed firmly into the political spotlight. The Belfast rap group's Coachella protest, resurfaced footage of older live performances, and a call to “urgently clarify” from the Taoiseach have triggered a row that now spans Westminster, the Dáil, and is even making a mark on the other side of the Atlantic. Sinéad O'Carroll, Chr...

Cork is getting a Luas. When? Well... you know how these things go... Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy look at why big infrastructure projects in Ireland move so slowly and what the Cork project tells us about systemic bottlenecks (and even how to fix them). The big question is of course whether Ireland can unlock the ability to transform its infrastructure to match...

We're still months out from the actual vote, but the presidential election machine is slowly spinning up (despite McGregor's efforts to jump-start it proving fruitless so farit so). Some potential candidates are tentatively suggesting that they have their eyes on a nomination, though none have declared yet. At the forefront is Fine Gael, with Mairead McGuinness emerging as a possible contender. Bu...

In a long, rambling press conference in the White House's Rose Garden on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump launched a historic global trade war - and Ireland is in the crosshairs. There's a real sense of shellshock since the announcement of the new tariffs: it's going to take weeks, if not months, for the impact to be felt, but there are some pretty clear signs already about what might happen to Ire...

The speaking rights row has yet to be quelled. A truce or a compromise is nowhere in sight. It's only getting messier, causing deeper divisions between the opposition and government parties. And then, through a simple gesture given by Michael Lowry to Paul Murphy, the entire situation was elevated to new heights. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Rónán Duffy discuss the continued chaos in the D...

And just when we thought the dust had settled after Micheál Martin's visit to the Oval Office. Conor McGregor's appearance in the White House was somewhat foreshadowed by Trump, who had referred to him as his favourite Irish person, but it caught many off guard. At the same time, McGregor being in the White House for 17 March shouldn't really come as any surprise – if anything, he's right at home....

Ireland watched the Taoiseach's Oval Office visit with bated breath. Would it be a disaster, an incredible success, or something in between? One of the biggest events in the Irish political calendar is over, and Micheál Martin has survived his 50-minute encounter with Donald Trump. Not without slipping on a couple of banana skins, of course. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Rónán Duffy, and — up b...

First, it was Covid restrictions that called off Micheál Martin's visit to the White House for St Patrick's Day in 2021. Then, during his second chance, he ended up actually catching Covid on the trip. Will it be third time lucky, or, after last week's Oval Office scenes, will this be one of the biggest tests of his political career? Will Trump unleash some pent-up anger directed at Ireland, or wi...

News about the National Gallery's never-used x-ray scanner worth €125,000 sparked 'fury' across the country... apparently. Did it really? If it did, how can that fury be used constructively? If it didn't, have we become numb to this type of wasted cash — or was this simply not that big of a deal? On this week's episode, Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy, and Sinéad O'Carroll examine the...

Europe is in disarray, to say the least, over Trump's rumblings about distancing the United States from all us on this side of the Atlantic, and his new spat with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will leave a massive hole in European defence if that happens, and that means Ireland is facing renewed attention over its military spend (or lack thereof). Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Róná...

Housing remains the single biggest issue for the Irish public. People want to see the crisis brought to an end or, at the very least, real action being taken. Any missteps are amplified. We saw that this week with talk of scrapping Rent Pressure Zones and the controversy around housing figures provided during the general election. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy loo...

It's almost March, and you know what that means: all political attention turns to one particular bowl of shamrock. Trump's second-term actions so far leave Ireland faced with a renewed dilemma: go ahead with the traditional St Patrick's Day trip to Washington in the name of using it to make our case on the world stage, or face the new realities of politics in 2025 and call off the Trump meeting. T...

With the help of a column in the Sunday Times, Leo Varadkar has casually lobbed a grenade at the new Dáil: are the positions of some new junior minsters constitutionally sound? It now looks like likely that their status could be tested in the courts, and for the first time. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews have a look at this, as well as who exactly has been appointed to head up...

What a week. An unprecedented start to the Dáil term. A temporary and perhaps uneasy truce over speaking rights that allowed the government to get off the ground. The Opposition putting forward a rare, united front. Again, this is week one; there are five years left to go. Fully remote this week due to Storm Éowyn, with the occasional atmospheric wind gust in the background, the team look back on...

The process of voting in a new taoiseach is usually a fairly routine affair. The opposition parties have their say, the government parties and their supporters have theirs, the vote is ultimately passed by the party with the most seats, and then it's time for a day out in the Áras. All very tidy. Instead, Leinster House has been plunged into unprecedented chaos and remains suspended into tomorrow...

Something we're enthusiastic about: we're back for a new season! Something we're not enthusiastic about: the new Programme for Government. Our team — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews — examine the 162-page document which outlines the government's plan for the next five years. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independents Group list their priorities across all areas of the...

... well, we're afraid you'll have to wait until our producer/barman counts the votes in accordance with PR-STV and reveals the winner at the end of the episode. The team — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Sinéad O'Carroll — break out the non-alcoholic mulled wine and alcoholic mystery red cocktails and decide on the winners of The Candidate's 2024 Politics Awards. From Whoopsie...

We're now stuck in government formation purgatory amd struggling to keep track of which group-of-the-day is vying for a seat at the Cabinet table. There's also murmurings of who the next Ceann Comhairle could be (spoiler, it could be the same person as the previous two Dáil terms). But, on top of all of this, we have the Social Democrats facing their first real post-election headache. A link betwe...