Elaine Loughlin: The year of 'new energy' brought us lots of the same old controversies too

Here’s a quick review of the political year that was.

January

• Migrants found in Rosslare: A group of migrants, including two children, were found in a refrigerated trailer on board a lorry which arrived at Rosslare Europort.

Nine men, three women, and two girls were assessed by medical personnel.

However, days later, many of the group had left their emergency accommodation. Meanwhile, anti-immigration protestors continued to target buildings and sites that had been earmarked for asylum accommodation.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin called for an assessment of security for accommodation centres. This was echoed by then taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who said property owners, as well as gardaí, have a responsibility to offer security.

Mr Varadkar said there will be no tolerance for damage to property or stopping people from doing the work that they’re paid to do.

• EU genocide case: Lawyers in The Hague said Israel had shown chilling and incontrovertible intent to commit genocide in Gaza, with full knowledge of how many civilians it is killing.

It said evidence of genocide was present in the number of civilians killed by Israel and also in statements made by its political and military leaders, including Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

February

• Children’s hospital cost spirals again: The bill for the National Children’s Hospital jumped to over €2bn, yet the Government still could not say for sure when it will begin treating sick patients.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was given Cabinet approval for an extra €512m, bringing the final bill to €2.24bn.

However, then taoiseach Leo Varadkar admitted that there would be “years of disputes” with contractor BAM about payments — even when the hospital is fully open.

In the months that followed, further delays were announced and a sharply-worded letter was written by Mr Donnelly.

• RTÉ tit-for-tat: Media Minister Catherine Martin was accused of “effectively a summary dismissal” of the chairwoman of the RTÉ board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, live on TV.

During a Prime Time interview, the minister failed to express full confidence in Ms Ní Raghallaigh — which prompted her resignation.

It came as a row also broke out between Ms Martin and RTÉ over whether she was informed about a controversial exit package for a former senior executive.

Ms Martin sided with her former top civil servant in a tit-for-tat exchange while the RTÉ board firmly backed its former chairwoman, Ms Ní Raghallaigh.

Privately, a number of senior Cabinet ministers were highly critical of Ms Martin’s handling of the entire debacle.

“Her reputation has gone up in flames,” a Cabinet source said.

March

• Referendums: The Government came in for criticism after two referendums centred around women and carers were rejected by Irish voters.

The family amendment proposed extending the meaning of family beyond one defined by marriage and to include those based on “durable” relationships.

It was defeated with more than 67% voting against.

The care amendment proposed deleting references to a woman’s roles and duties in the home, and replacing it with a new article that acknowledges family carers.

Some 73.9% voted no.

• Taoiseach steps down: In a move that took Leinster House by surprise, Leo Varadkar confirmed that he would be standing down as leader of the country.

In an at-times emotional speech, Mr Varadkar said he had done “some soul searching” and that the time had come for him to step aside.

Just days before, Mr Varadkar had returned from Washington where he had taken part in the annual St Patrick’s Day Washington events.

His departure paved the way for the election of Simon Harris as new party leader and Taoiseach, which took place the following month.

• Donaldson resigns: Jeffrey Donaldson quit as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after being charged with historic sex offences.

Amid a media scrum, the 61-year-old politician later appeared in court in Newry, Co Down, having been arrested and charged by police.

Gavin Robinson, who was appointed interim party leader, described the development as “devastating”, with the revelations causing “tremendous shock not just for myself personally or my colleagues within the DUP but for the community right across Northern Ireland”.

April

• Coveney steps aside: As newly appointed Fine Gael leader Simon Harris began to assemble his Cabinet, long-serving Cork South-Central TD and former tánaiste Simon Coveney announced he would be stepping aside as a minister to allow the new Taoiseach “space” to create a fresh opportunity for the party in Government.

After 13 years in Cabinet, he said it was the right time to go. However, he stated he would be remaining on as a TD.

Mr Coveney later announced that he would not be running in the general election.

• Harris becomes Taoiseach: Addressing the Dáil for the first time as Taoiseach, Simon Harris promised to bring an “energetic and laser-focused” approach to housing, health, and security.

Mr Harris’s wife Caoimhe, his two young children, and other family members watched on as he was voted in as Taoiseach by 88 votes to 69, thereby becoming the youngest Taoiseach in the history of the State.

Mr Harris retained many of Mr Varadkar’s senior Cabinet ministers, with Helen McEntee, Paschal Donohoe, and Heather Humphreys all staying in their positions. Limerick TD Patrick O’Donovan was one of two new TDs appointed to Cabinet, taking over the role of higher education minister.

• Tánaiste visits the Rafah border: Arriving at the Rafah border with Gaza, Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the denial of basic necessities and life-saving aid into Gaza as “inhumanity on a grand scale”.

He met with aid workers who brought him on a tour of warehouses along the border storing items denied entry by Israel, which included everything from CT scanners and oxygen masks to incubators for babies, crutches for those who have lost limbs, and ambulance stretchers.

Mr Martin stressed Ireland’s “unwavering support” for those providing aid to 1.7m Palestinians, adding that “we cannot lose sight of the urgency of addressing the current crisis in Gaza”.

May

• Migrant crisis: Taoiseach Simon Harris ordered the removal of more than 160 migrant tents that had been set along Dublin’s Grand Canal.

As the Government scrambled to accommodate around 300 people attending the International Protection Office each week, officials were asked to
reassess State-owned sites previously ruled out for asylum accommodation.

The number of tents had been steadily increasing since the first tents were pitched along Mount St Bridge, and these camps were then replaced by steel fencing which remained along the canal for the summer.

• President speaks out on antisemitism: President Michael D Higgins denounced as “irresponsible” claims made by the Israeli ambassador about the level of antisemitism in Ireland.

The President told the Irish Examiner that encouraging fear among the Jewish community in Ireland is “deeply irresponsible”, adding that it is simply a “PR exercise” by an administration that is guilty of breaching international law in Gaza.

“The Irish people are not antisemitic, quite the opposite.”

June

• EU and local elections: Fianna Fáil retained the title of largest party in local government after it won a total of 248 council seats in the local elections, slightly higher than Fine Gael — which returned 245 local representatives. Sinn Féin gained seats to bring its numbers at local level to 102, but this was lower than the party had hoped.

The European Parliament elections, held on the same day, saw Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil each claim four seats out of the 14 that were up for grabs.

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace lost their EU seats along with Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan. However, there were breakthroughs for Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Independent candidate
Michael McNamara, and former RTÉ journalist
Ciaran Mullooly.

• Ryan bows out: Eamon Ryan announced he was stepping down as the leader of the Green Party.

Having been first elected to the Dáil in 2002, Mr Ryan said he could no longer work the long hours being a public representative involves as he has “parenting commitments at home which I also want to serve”.

Mr Ryan, who remained on as minister for transport, environment, climate, and communications until November’s elections, hit out at the “divisive politics” which had “poisoned the well” in Irish discourse.

July

• Von der Leyen re-elected and McGrath nominated: Four Fianna Fáil MEPs voted against the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president, citing her support of Israel as a determining factor.

In total, 401 MEPs voted in favour of Ms von der Leyen, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes.

Fine Gael MEPs were the only Irish representatives to say that they had voted in favour of Ms von der Leyen.

Ireland nominated former finance minister Michael McGrath as its EU commissioner.

• The Harris-Starmer reset: The Taoiseach travelled to Chequers, where he met new British prime minister Keir Starmer to begin a “reset” of Anglo-Irish relations.

Mr Harris said the invitation was a “strong signal” of the friendship between the two countries, which he hoped would be renewed and strengthened after years of difficulty over Brexit.

Mr Starmer said the fact that the Taoiseach was the first world leader he received after his election was “symbolic” of the importance of the relationship.

August

• Irish far right forges neo-Nazi link: It was reported that the home addresses of TDs and ministers were deliberately being published by agitators on frequently used websites to make it easier for protests and intimidation.

In total, the home or street addresses of nearly 20 TDs could be found with simple searches. Many constituency offices, which have not been advertised publicly, are also included.

It was also revealed that Irish anti-immigration agitators collaborated with groups now deemed international terrorist organisations, along with prominent neo-Nazis, in transnational movements that may be funnelling increasing money to Ireland’s far right.

• ‘The world must be ashamed’: Simon Harris said the “world must be ashamed” after the milestone of 40,000 people killed in Gaza was passed 10 months into Israel’s attack on the enclave.

At the time, international aid organisations said women and children accounted for around 72% of the death toll.

September

• Harris visits Ukraine: Taoiseach Simon Harris vowed in Kyiv that Ireland would never allow the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine to be normalised or forgotten by the rest of the world.

The hypersonic missiles and drone attacks killed seven people close to the time that the Taoiseach was passing through the city.

• Bike shed: The cost of a €336,000 bike shed at Leinster House was described as a “profound embarrassment” by Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who was forced to address the controversy as TDs arrived back for the first day of the new Dáil term.

The shelter, holding 18 bikes, cost €322,282 for construction and installation, according to the breakdown of costs from the OPW.

A further €2,952 was spent on archaeological services, while €10,816 was paid out for quantity surveying services and “contract administration services”.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl said the bike shed’s cost was “indefensible”.

• Farmers poll: Still enjoying the Harris hop after a summer of touring fairs, agricultural shows, sporting events, and music festivals, Simon Harris’s party provided most popular among rural voters in an 'Irish Examiner' poll.

Fine Gael was at 27% support among farmers and those living in rural Ireland, with Fianna Fáil, behind on 22%, and Sinn Féin support dropping to just 18%.

Independents, a group which had been gaining momentum, were on 20%.

October

• Bonanza budget and phone pouches: Budget 2025 contained a €10.5bn election giveaway of one-off payments before Christmas, cuts to taxes, and additional spending, which are all targeted at putting money back in people’s pockets.

The Taoiseach said the Government had used a massive surplus to “help people make ends meet”, but had also set aside funds to make sure this generation of children “never
experiences the austerity that many of us lived through”.

However, within days, there was uproar over €9m which had been set aside for mobile phone pouches in schools.

• Sinn Féin in turmoil: Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was forced to address the Dáil to explain four separate controversies that had beset the party.

It included the resignation of long-standing TD Brian Stanley, who said the party had subjected him to a “kangaroo court” after a complaint was made against him.

In a statement, Mr Stanley said he had recently been brought in front of a party inquiry and, due to its outcomes, was announcing his resignation from Sinn Féin “with immediate effect”.

November

• General election finally called: After months of denials and full-termism, Taoiseach Simon Harris finally called a general election for November 29.

• O’Leary stirs up teachers: Fine Gael was thrown into controversy just days into the election campaign after controversial comments about teachers by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.

Mr O’Leary said he would not “employ a lot of teachers to go out and get things done”, which prompted laughter and jeering among those attending the event to launch minister Peter Burke’s election campaign.

• Hutch runs: Gerard ‘the Monk’ Hutch announced he would be running in the election in Dublin South Central, a move which gained significant media attention.

However, it was at the RDS count centre where the media frenzy went into overdrive when Mr Hutch briefly arrived as the votes were being counted, before fleeing on foot just 30 minutes later.

In the end, he lost out to Labour’s Marie Sherlock who took the fourth and final seat in the constituency.

• Election baby: After announcing her pregnancy in June, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns gave birth to her daughter on election day.

“She’s here. We’re completely in love with her,” Ms Cairns announced on social media alongside a picture of her with her baby.

December

• The coalition dance begins: Fianna Fáil were retuned as the largest party winning 48 Dáil seats. Sinn Féin won 39 seats and Fine Gael took 38 seats.

The Lanigan’s Ball of parties stepping in and out of meetings began just days after the election, with left-wing leaders meeting to discuss the option of a left-wing bloc — which never materalised.

Labour was split on whether it should go into a coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, while Independents from the regional group met with both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.