Thirty-two hours after Ireland’s local and European elections closed, only 184 out of 949 municipal and provincial council positions have been decided. Counting has not even begun for the European Parliament election. The country’s electoral process, while possessing many merits, is not known for its swiftness. Hence, much is still unknown. However, thanks to early counting, political polls, and the discernible expressions of Irish politicians, we can make a few preliminary assumptions.
The opinion poll trends, especially Sinn Féin’s decline in support, have been verified at the voting stations. The government’s three parties – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Greens – seem likely to experience a drop in their percentage of votes. Yet, the notable observation is the resilience of their combined vote, despite being over four years into their coalition term. Smaller parties and independent candidates had a successful day, but the array of ideologies within this group makes it difficult to treat as a standard analytical construct.
While local elections don’t provide a reliable forecast for general election outcomes, it’s evident that the changing electoral scene will impact the dynamics of Irish politics in the lead up to a Dáil election. These shifts may also play a part in the timing of the election. It is expected that Taoiseach Simon Harris will encounter intra-party urging to step down after autumn’s budget as multiple by-elections are expected before the year ends, and Sinn Féin’s momentum appears to have paused.
Pat Leahy recently wrote a keenly observed piece describing the events as an extraordinary day in Irish politics. He pointed out that while Sinn Féin is likely to be disappointed, centre-leaning politics represented by Labour, the Greens, and the Social Democrats performed better than anticipated. He suggests that the vote swing indicates a group of voters open to change without strong ties to historical political allegiances. Leahy writes: ” Numerous voters toggle between parties with a casualness that would have scandalized their ancestors.”
Pat and Jennifer Bray were part of the latest edition of our Inside Politics Daily podcast with Hugh Linehan last Saturday evening; it’s definitely worth lending your ear to. The succeeding podcast will be functioning in your feed later today. While awaiting additional outcomes, take a moment to peruse Liz Carolan’s dissection of our initial “splinternet” election and take delight in Miriam Lord’s narration of the campaign’s ups and downs.
Apart from Irish political matters, there are ample intriguing reads on our website this weekend. In the Opinion section, Mark O’Connell speculates whether the subsequent confusion regarding AI could have been avoided had postwar computer scientists, who first dreamt it up, dubbed it something less misleading like “applied statistics”. Regardless of its apparent value, Mark contends that AI isn’t actually as smart as its name suggests. Meanwhile, Simon Harris’s plea for banks to lower mortgage interest rates does not sit well with another Opinion writer, Cliff Taylor. Additionally, Razan Ibraheem implores readers to remain aware of the atrocities happening in Gaza.
In the Sports section, an engrossing piece penned by Paul Howard delves into the life and untimely demise of Olympic medal-winning boxer Darren Sutherland. The terrifying sound of thunder has Lebanese children shrinking in fear, an eerie sight witnessed by Patrick Freyne and Chris Maddaloni, who journeyed to Lebanon to visually capture the human toll resulting from the ongoing artillery warfare between Hizbullah and Israel since October.
Keeping it local, a piece by Sheila Wayman and Jen Hogan expose the unyielding realities of divorce during a housing crisis. Experts concur that fiscal and property disputes often overshadow other critical concerns such as the emotional impact on the children and the divorcees themselves.
This Saturday’s magazine features a candid piece by Oliver Callan on his experiences working in an RTÉ haunted by Ryan Tubridy’s spectre. Callan has suffered the trials of teenage bullying in Monaghan, rose to be Ireland’s leading political satirist, and now enjoys a successful radio career.
Lastly, for book lovers planning a summer road trip, why not explore audiobooks? Whether narrated by a renowned actor like Meryl Streep or Jessie Buckley, or even the author themselves, an audiobook can offer a fresh perspective on a favourite story. Our Ticket list of exhilarating new audiobook titles might just pique your interest.
Sophie Power made headlines recently with her astonishing road trip. Initially, she embarked on a journey from Cork to Donegal by car, only to return on foot. Her extraordinary run, which began at Malin Head in Inishowen and concluded at Mizen Head in west Cork, was marked by injuries, hallucinations, and a flood of tears upon completion. The 563km trek took Sophie three days, 12 hours, and eight minutes, breaking the Guinness world record by three hours. This week, Sophie’s journey was the topic of an article and podcast.
On another note, the world of athletics created some equally thrilling moments. A memorable highlight from the past weekend was the victory of the Irish mixed relay team at the European Championships in Rome. The golden performance of athletes Chris O’Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Sharlene Mawdsley was witnessed firsthand by our reporter, Ian O’Riordan, at the Stadio Olimpico. Ian will also attend some significant races later, which include the 1500m final expected to see Ciara Mageean and Sarah Healy in action.
Editor,
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic