Pat Leahy columns
I have never seen such obvious stress as I saw on the faces of Irish officials sitting on the Oval Office couch praying for the ordeal to end. I have never seen such relief afterwards
Tom Wright may be the most influential Irishman you’ve never heard of. He was part of the team responsible for advising Biden on Russia and Ukraine
Europe is now seeking to transform itself into a military power. The sooner we grasp this in Ireland, the better
The world is a changed place and Ireland must figure out how to deal with those changes. Would it not be an idea to have some debate about this in the national parliament?
There’s a sense that this is probably the last extended act in a long political career and that time is short
The South has no hesitation saying yes to unity – as long as it doesn’t cost any money or involving changing a flag or an anthem
Preparing for the inevitable consequences of a heating world is an urgent task for governments everywhere. Ours hasn’t given it remotely enough attention
What we witnessed was the end of a consensus in which the big parties all agreed that parliament had to work. The feelings that erupted won’t dissipate quickly
Things are good now, but there’s a worrying sense in our new government that the economy will look after itself
Government likely to pursue a middle way, promising to enact the proposed legislation but kicking it into a process to draw up amendments and consider possible costs
If the next government wants to solve the housing crisis, then it will have to treat it as a crisis
The Dublin riots changed politics, but not in the way anyone expected
Wondering about how you’ll explain Irish politics to visiting foreign relatives – or to yourself? Wonder no more
The observation that ‘the past is never dead – it’s not even past’ seems especially true in Northern Ireland
The next government faces immense challenges that require guile, nerve, judgment and luck
The Taoiseach isn’t the only one losing the run of himself – the election is turning into a massive auction
Political insulation from the cost-of-living crisis has been paid for by bumper corporation tax receipts – and now those receipts are under threat
A campaign dominated by Simon Harris and Micheál Martin would suit Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. I don’t think it’s going to happen
Climate, immigration and the sustainability of our economic model are subjects no one wants to talk about but they are not going away
Voters often ignore the conclusions of the political bubble, as the former Fianna Fáil leader demonstrated time and again
Mattie McGrath spoke for the whole Dáil – an unusual occurrence, this – and maybe the rest of us too when he told the Chamber on Tuesday that all the election speculation was driving everyone 'demented'
Fianna Fáil and the Greens are absolutely adamant that they will not be hustled into an early election to suit Fine Gael
Budget 2025: No big new policies, no inspired plans, just more than €2 billion in a budget-day giveaway
Campaigns are dynamic, unpredictable and volatile, but the party faces an uphill battle
The reason senior gardaí – and a small number of other senior public servants – would have faced a huge tax bill is because their pensions are huge
Apple’s billions threaten to transform our entire political debate into a massive auction, but this would be a big mistake
We have an opportunity to learn from the very clear lessons of the past if we are to avoid a massive inquiry running for years
Everyone - within Government and without - is preparing for a November election
Haughey understood the ambiguity many felt about the Northern conflict. FitzGerald understood the yearning of middle class urbanites to be modern, European, more secular. The leaders who will prosper now are those who intuit where the country really is in 2024
The Fine Gael feel-good factor isn’t going to last forever. Throw in the expectation in Government of a Trump victory on November 5th and the possibility of a “flight to safety” by Irish voters afterwards, and one date starts to look most likely
Between the once-off measures that occur every year and the rule that must be broken, the Department of Finance is like something from Flann O’Brien
Eleven FG TDs have said they will not run in next election, and the party faces a headache finding electable new candidates
Make no mistake: A far-right government in France would be an earthquake for the EU
Even those who don’t like the departing Green Party leader take him seriously
If the two parties don’t commit to a pact before the general election, voters may reasonably conclude they are not really serious about being in government and having their policies implemented
Nastier lead-in, more focus on migration and less on green issues, and Sinn Féin’s need to get back to basics
The message from the two budget boyos is that with inflation under control there is little justification for another glut of one-off giveaways
The new mayor of Limerick will have a job unlike any other in Ireland, with potential to strengthen local government and local democracy
The local and European elections are not a crystal ball. But they are a huge political event, which will both tell us things about the state of Irish politics
What exactly will it be illegal to say in future that it is not currently illegal to say? Nobody seems to know
There needs to be a second half of the plan beyond telling the continuing arrivals that they’re on their own. All this just plays to the “Ireland is full” gang
Too many on the left are content to whine from the sidelines, wary of the responsibility of power and unwilling to make the compromises that forming a Government require
Already there are four key signs about where his priorities will lie - and they don’t include scrapping with the Opposition
The united Ireland conversation involves listening to people who don’t agree with you and whose advice you don’t want to hear
It’s like no other job in the country. If you think anyone can do it, you have no idea what’s involved
We were all waiting, says one Government insider, like waiting for a kettle to boil, when it wasn’t plugged in
Relations across the cultural chasm in the Coalition have been deteriorating for months, with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail ministers increasingly given to mutterings about their Green colleagues
In fairness to us, we really have some neck. There is literally no end to our chutzpah
Two sets of political considerations will influence the decision: tactical and practical.
Meetings have frequently been farcical. It’s ridiculous that two committees should jostle for attention
Recent polls are promising but the party has big decisions to make on three key questions
Don't always take the advice of officials' and don't play into your opponents' hands - here's what the Taoiseach can learn from his predecessor
There has always been a suspicion that Sinn Féin has never really wanted Northern Ireland to work, but there’s more to it than that
He might not like to talk about “coalitionology” but the decisions he makes will have far reaching implications
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices
