An ominous sense of looming dread has begun to engulf the Government about the year ahead

The finance minister says he has unfinished business in Irish politics.   'I am a long way away yet from having to make the case about my legacy', he tells Daniel McConnell, Political Editor

She has garnered the trust of senior Cabinet colleagues, but there are doubts as to whether Norma Foley has the style or vision needed for leadership

We have endured a rollercoaster of ups and downs, new variants, closures, cancelled holidays and family gatherings, not being able to mourn our dead properly, and on and on

Whether it is or isn’t the end, this is a watershed moment in this country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting before Christmas, party leader and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar put his ministers “on notice”.

THE start of a new year is a time to take stock, assess how things stand, and to examine how some items can be improved.

When can we get on with simply living with Covid, rather than living in fear of whatever threat new variants will throw at us?

From a high of 37% to just 20% in the polls now, Fine Gael's stock has plummeted in recent years and the picture is looking bleaker than ever

A succession of opinion polls in recent months have placed Sinn Féin as the most popular party in Ireland. However, the path to power is far from straightforward, writes Daniel McConnell.