The untimely death of Marese Skehan, an Independent election candidate for the Tipperary constituency in the forthcoming election, prompts the question: Has any other candidate died on the campaign trail?

The embattled British prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland arrives in Dublin on Monday morning.

The threats from Sinn Féin about tabling such a motion appear to be mere sable-rattling ahead of their ard fheis in Belfast this weekend, writes Daniel McConnell

Martin was thrilled with Ireland’s World Cup playoff draw — Leo less so.

Eamon Ryan’s recommended reading list sparks talk of book club

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said he’s strongly backing Leo Varadkar and not fellow Corkman Simon Coveney to become the new Fine Gael leader because he believes that the country needs a fresh change.

Despite sunshine, a few storm clouds rolled in from the south for Leo, writes Lise Hand.

2016 has been a year to remember and not for all the right reasons. Political editor Daniel McConnell looks back on some key events.

Fianna Fáil members would not accept a coalition with Fine Gael and would rather do a deal with Sinn Féin provided Gerry Adams steps down as leader.

By far the biggest message to emerge from the results is simply that people are no longer willing to just go along with politics as usual, says Michael Clifford.

Gender quotas will see more female election candidates in the field but not necessarily in the Dáil and the woman who spearheaded the policy, Joan Burton, could lose out in the capital’s battle royale, writes Shaun Connolly

The property tax is being exploited ruthlessly by politicians — irrespective of the cost to any principles they may claim to possess, writes Michael Clifford

DESPITE Joan Burton unexpectedly losing Ruairi Quinn, her education minister, she needs to do a crash course in the three Rs — reshuffle, rewrite and rejuvenate. The Tánaiste-designate is in the unusual position of having seen her three predecessors as Labour leader swept out of the Cabinet by her rise.

YOU want a slice of Ireland today? Come to Carrigaline. Down on Main St, the Turkish barber has closed up and left town.

Sex, drugs and free Swiss roll dominated the 77th Fine Gael ard fheis.

In early November 1915, on the weekend of the All-Ireland final, the Tralee Republican leader Austin Stack dispatched three men disguised as Kerry football supporters to Dublin.

IN a twist on the old cliché of a bull in a china shop, Eamon Gilmore has been talking bull in a ‘shop’ in China.

I was at Ruairi Ó Bradaigh’s funeral ceremony at the Sacred Heart Church in Roscommon.

SEX, lies and audiotape dominated a telling few days in Irish politics.

With the economy sinking faster than the Titanic, Captain Noonan issued the immortal order: “Women and children first!” — but, sadly, he meant first into the financial firing line, not the economic life boats.

Ah, the Blueshirts; unable to get out from under Croke Park they decide to go up Croagh Patrick instead — hoping that God will listen to them even if the unions will not.

It is the badly written potboiler that everyone is talking about: Fifty Shades Of Fine Gael.

Labour chairman Colm Keaveney this week opened the door on what some see as a battle for the party’s survival, says Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly

Olivia Mitchell is the only person in the Dáil against whom adverse findings were made by Mahon. While she was not corrupt, the system was, writes Michael Clifford

ONE is leader of the Blueshirts, the other is leader of a bunch of blue blobs, but it seems that Papa Smurf has a stronger moral compass than Enda Kenny and Co.

FEAR and loathing continues to dominate Fine Gael and Labour’s pre-budget bust-ups.

HOW do you get to know a nation? Taste their food? Walk their streets? Read their history? Try clicking through the nearest turnstile, follow the route on the back of your ticket to the seat. And learn.

HOW hard autumn falls.

ANYBODY out there with a bit of get-up-and-go? In particular, we’re looking for somebody who’s good at selling. You will be required to spend time on the road, flogging your wares in foreign capitals.

REORGANISING the government departments and combining some of them makes sense from organisational and efficiency points of view.

JUST when you thought auction politics was going, going, gone — Fine Gael slams down the gavel and tries to bring the dark art back from the dead.

IT was expected to be the angry taxi driver against the slick telesales guy.

THE woman looked towards Enda Kenny and exclaimed: “Oh, he’s gorgeous, he’s just adorable, I can’t wait to play with him!”

THE desperate events of the past 48 hours left Ireland not just a broke country, but a broken country — and now it has a broken Taoiseach too.

THE Scannal programme on the 1970 Arms Crisis on RTÉ television this week began with me proclaiming that the whole thing was the most serious crisis since the civil war. It has never been properly investigated but then no one should be surprised because the civil war was largely ignored, too.

ENDA KENNY is going nowhere.

SO the only new job opportunities in the entire country were confined to a few multi-pensioned politicians in Leinster House.

WE were promised a looser, leaner leader ready to shake things up a bit, and so the Dáil hushed as the new look “Bendy Enda” was poised for his unveiling.

A CONCISE version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica was about to be finalised when somebody noticed a howler. The encyclopaedia wrongly suggested that our civil war of 1922-23 was fought between the Catholics of the south and the Protestants of the North.

FINE GAEL senators have been likened to “turkeys voting for Christmas” after accepting party leader Enda Kenny’s decision to call for the abolition of the Seanad.

CRIMINAL activities, whether committed by common criminals or political ones, should be investigated by the gardaí.

LIAR! Liar! The election finally caught fire.

IT IS always tempting to begin a column about Irish politicians at this time of year by writing “as they head off for the summer”, but out of respect for Independent TD Finian McGrath I decided not to do so.

THIS week Fine Gael has been remembering John A Costello and the 60th anniversary of the Fine Gael-led coalition government that came to power in February 1948.

AFTER reshuffling the cards, new Labour leader Eamon Gilmore put together the strongest Dáil hand he could — despite not having a full deck to play with.

A letter from Padraig Pearse penned hours before his death is expected to reach up to €100,000 at auction today.