Gender, age, and loyalty all play their part in new junior ministerial appointments

Enda Kenny’s junior ministerial appointments included all the elements of why some TDs are promoted or indeed overlooked, including factors such as geography, gender, age, and loyalty.

The rise in the number of positions from 15 to 18 will raise questions though, especially given that Fine Gael is in a minority government.

Furthermore, some areas of the country have been left without a minister and a number of TDs, previously critical of Mr Kenny, were left out in the cold.