Pat Leahy
Pat Leahy columns
Is the Irish economy really Trump-proof? We’d better hope so
As the Taoiseach eyes the exit and the unity debate gets louder, the current calm in Irish politics may not last
Why Simon Harris will really struggle to move the dial on income tax in the Budget
Fine Gael aspirations to help ‘people who get up early in the morning’ might be kept in check by realpolitik
As public opinion toughens on migration, politicians have shifted to the right
New system for assessing the claims of people who arrive here to claim asylum is doing what was intended - turning down most of those who apply
What happens to Northern Ireland after unity? Answers are starting to emerge
Would it remain Northern Ireland, though under the ultimate jurisdiction of Dublin, rather than London? Or would it be subsumed into a united Ireland?
People get promoted until they reach a job they can’t do (and other lessons from the UK)
Keir Starmer wasn’t great but his shortcomings weren’t the Labour government’s biggest problem. It was the lack of growth in the British economy
Whatever Simon Harris says, we are far from a ‘blueprint’ for a united Ireland
A blueprint is a detailed plan which can be followed to build something. Harris is promising it by the time of the Fine Gael ardfheis in November. It’s not going to happen
The Healy-Raes were seen as great gas. But there is little funny about their politics
When Jackie Healy-Rae first emerged, a sophisticate in FF remarked he’d never get elected, not least because he looked like he combed his hair with a pork chop
Darragh O’Brien on new help to buy EVs, Ireland’s missed climate targets and Fianna Fáil’s leadership
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
Maybe we should ask Ireland’s small population of Jews what they think about anti-Semitism
The Occupied Territories Bill might not be the biggest issue involving relations with Israel in the coming months
What byelection results say about the rise of right-wing parties and candidates
Galway West and Dublin Central votes suggest emergence of significant electoral force to the right of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil
Winners and losers: What we’ve learned from the byelections
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
Who would want the most difficult job in Ireland? Quite a few people
No matter what the substantial anti-Micheál Martin faction says, his will be big shoes to fill
Social partnership can work – but not if it becomes another magic ATM for public servants
We can’t have all the short-term solutions we want and all the long-term investment we want
What the Dublin and Galway byelections could tell us about the future of Irish politics
A greater degree of left unity and/or a sizeable alternative to the right of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil would be a new and unpredictable dynamic
Deepfake Simon Harris is only the start of the Government’s AI problem
Artificial intelligence will bring significant changes in the world of work, and soon present very considerable political challenges
Is Sinn Féin really any closer to achieving its goals than it was half a decade ago?
Sinn Féin has been working hard at showing the world that it has recovered its mojo
Saying no is not Simon Harris’s favourite part of the job
The decent people who protested last week have a choice to make next time they’re on the streets
Could we be looking at the future of protests in Ireland?
Every political problem faced by recent governments has been solved – to a greater or lesser extent – by finding money to throw at it. What happens if that dries up?
Pressure builds on Labour as austerity bites: Collapse, part two
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
Ireland’s surplus won’t last long if there are two more aid packages to come
This is the way our politics works now – a constant stream of demand and response
Trump is stuck and looking for options – an Irish former US adviser warns this is risky
Tom Wright, who worked in the Biden administration, believes the president is in ‘a real bind’ in Iran
There’s something missing from Ireland’s debates on foreign policy: our interests
Bollocking the president of the United States on St Patrick’s Day is probably not what the people want their political leader to do
Expect to hear the phrase ‘Governments don’t win byelections’ a lot in the months ahead
Coalition leaders will not relish Dublin Central and Galway West contests. Just ask Keir Starmer
Here’s what the rapid U-turn on special needs assistants tells us about this Government
Taking services away has greater political cost than not providing them in the first place
History no longer casts such a shadow over Irish politics but we can’t gloss over the past
Gerry Hutch, who plans to run in a byelection, has been a central figure in organised crime in Dublin
Try explaining to the people of Enniscorthy why it’s hard to get things done
Instead of action, Ministers can take refuge in process. But public patience is wearing thin
This is the one thing you’ll never hear a politician say
On and on it goes, every week: more spending is the only solution to every problem facing the country. Nobody ever says we can’t afford it
Lesson EU leaders took from Davos is that they need to stop appeasing Trump
Irish Government will try to follow the rugby coaches’ advice and control the controllables
What is the future for the new right in Irish politics?
Plenty of energy, as evidenced by the recent ‘Irlforum’, but no sign of a breakthrough
Can the left alliance grow this year? Only if it answers these questions
Challenge for the putative alliance is to show the public that they can co-operate consistently on substantive issues, beyond political posturing
Better-paid TDs, more powerful ministers – and other ideas to improve Ireland
There is a recurring dilemma of politics – how to get politicians to do what’s best for the longer term and unpopular in the short term?
Go shooting, drink wine, sing in a chorus – and other life advice from a politics journalist
Sing in a choir, make something with your hands, shoot real or clay pigeons, go to a church, dance if you really must
A decisive showdown over Micheál Martin’s leadership might be best for everyone
Not yet having the numbers to push the button, his opponents within Fianna Fáil are now hoping to harry him to destruction
Left rising, Lowry’s comeback and a blackface controversy: the year in politics
One important thing that happened in 2025 was something that didn’t happen – the monstering of the Irish economy by Trump’s tariffs
Irish fretting about the triple lock seems faintly ridiculous in light of Russia threat
Ireland’s neutrality doesn’t bother EU allies. Our inability to defend ourselves does
These three Ministers are doing something welcome – making enemies
Patrick O’Donovan, Jim O’Callaghan and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill have shown they are not afraid of rattling cages
Only thing predictable about Irish politics is that nothing is predictable
Right now, Sinn Féin are the bookies’ favourites to win the next general election, but you might as well ask Mystic Meg
Catherine Connolly served notice on the Government – but the left is not its biggest problem
Unless it can make rapid progress in facilitating homebuilding, the Coalition will have no future. Nor, frankly, will it deserve one
John Collison has mapped a way out of the Government’s lethargy
Our electoral system and political culture has taught politicians that above all, they should annoy nobody. The housing crisis is changing that
Catherine Connolly will be president of Blueshirt barristers, Fianna Fáil farmers, lefties and pro-lifers
She proved to be an exceptional candidate – poised, disciplined and possessed of an unflappable temperament
If Catherine Connolly wins, it means one of two things
If the Government parties and their leaders aren’t worried about the political implications, they’re sticking their heads in the sand
Jim O’Callaghan will bide his time, but the great game is on
Micheál Martin is going nowhere for now, but the power dynamics have definitely shifted following the Gavin debacle
Budget 2026: This is what caution looks like. But will it wash with voters?
Paschal Donohoe is a steady-as-she-goes man, not given to dramatic lurches in spending or tax policy. That can be a tough sell
Ireland faces a stark choice in the face of the threat from Russia
Catherine Connolly’s horror at the remilitarisation of Europe is understandable, but she has taken the wrong lesson from the history of the 1930s
Presidential debate: who came out on top and who struggled?
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
If conservatives like Maria Steen want to have an impact, they need to do three things better
Does her experience suggest anyone who holds socially conservative views is excluded from public life?
Hollowing out of democracy is secondary to the profits of big tech
Social media companies should be legally bound to reveal identities of those who threaten politicians
Mary Lou McDonald’s RTÉ interview on the presidency was more revealing than she intended
McDonald used the first person (I, me, my) 32 times. This was a decision that she was framing very much as a personal choice
Three (other) big issues preoccupying Irish politicians: spending, housing, neutrality
These are the things they’re thinking about when they’re not thinking about the presidential election (which is a lot of the time)
There are landmines on the path to the presidency for every party
Every party leader has a lot to lose in the upcoming election - and it’s less clear what they have to gain
Brian Cowen and The Crash: a new look at the handling and political cost of the Celtic Tiger collapse
A new Irish Times podcast series looks back at the crash with the benefit of 14 years’ hindsight
Crash, part two: austerity bites and Brian Cowen’s Morning Ireland humiliation
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices