He said that “we all know how that ends” with regard to the prospect of a Fianna Fáil administration.

The HSE has been urged to step up its efforts to publicise the Doctor’s Visit Cards in order to increase their take-up.

Even if it is difficult to be certain that all or even most of the details of the political decision-making process are in the public domain, it is never too difficult to tell right from wrong.

The Irish people can no longer be bought with their own money. That’s a “take-away” from last Friday’s poll.

How do you know when the silly season has begun? When the pages of the newspapers are full of a spat between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the entire journalistic corps.

How do you know when the silly season has begun? When the pages of the newspapers are full of a spat between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the entire journalistic corps. 

The Taoiseach has said Independent TDs Michael Lowry and Sean Canney have no written deals with the Government but do have access when needed.

A standard bottle of gas (11kg or 13kg) which for many people provides either heating or cooking energy or both retails for approximately €14.50 to €18 in Spain.

Today is the 25th anniversary of the last winter poll — unless you’re a meteorologist and count the last two general elections, held in February, as winter votes.

Liam Cosgrave’s monumental legacy is that he put the nation’s security and the national interest before party considerations, writes Ryle Dwyer   

From the backstreets of Walkinstown to the top legal bench in the land, the journey of new Chief Justice Frank Clarke has been a remarkable one.

The murky ticket-touting scandal that has engulfed the Olympic Council of Ireland was compared to something out of The Godfather.

“Stop saying the universal social charge (USC) is likely to go. It will never go...”

When Minister for Health Noel Browne attempted to introduce free medical care for expectant mothers and children under 16 he was left alone to face the full might of the Catholic church, writes Ryle Dwyer.

As TK Whitaker celebrates his 100th birthday this week, Ryle Dwyer examines his phenomenal contribution to Irish life and politics

As of 1940, primary school was the sole source of education for 90% of the population. Fifty years ago, Donogh O’Malley outlined an initiative that would finally change all that, writes Ryle Dwyer 

Your letters, your views...

Budget day is no longer shrouded in secrecy. We’ve come a long way since 2003, when the then minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy, launched decentralisation on an unwitting populace in his budget speech. Not all of his cabinet colleagues knew what was coming.

Your letters, your views...

IN a housing crisis, what people really need is a roof over their heads.

The new head of an expert commission on water charges says its members will look at an “equitable” model of payment for water and produce a report by the end of the year.

A senior Government minister has told opposition TDs they may be forced to back down on plans to scrap water charges when the nine- month fees suspension ends after the EU warned doing so could see Ireland hit with drastic legal action.

The Kelly family feature on ‘Doctor in the House’ on TV3 on Wednesday at 9pm.

Some say we should forget about wars. However, rather than glorify or celebrate them, we should remember every gory detail to try to prevent further conflicts, writes Ryle Dwyer

Left-wing group the Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit will shun Sinn Féin calls to support Gerry Adams’ nomination for taoiseach and put forward their own protest candidate when the Dáil returns next Thursday.

AS THE dust settles, two options for the next government can be seen galloping in from the horizon, writes Michael Clifford

The current political stalemate is not unique, suggests Ryle Dwyer, who argues the past may provide the solution.

The Tánaiste has defended a Labour minister who stormed out of a radio debate as pressure continues to grow on the party.

The government parties have stepped up attacks on Fianna Fáil on Day 11 of the general election campaign.

Fianna Fáil has committed to getting rid of Irish Water and scrapping water charges for five years in its general election manifesto.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has again tried to shut the door on the possibility of entering coalition with Fine Gael, despite several of his TDs saying they would consider such a deal if the party is the stronger one after the election.

Business group Ibec has weighed into the hot election debate on the universal social charge — saying that “moves to abolish the USC are a step in the wrong direction.”

AS European justice ministers meet in Brussels today to sign off on the number of refugees each country will take, the sheer scale of coping with the enormity of this appalling crisis is finally dawning on even the most welcoming of nations. That became clear over the weekend when a huge influx of migrants into southern Germany threatened to swamp the city of Munich.

Over the last several weeks we’ve had a mini farce about ‘privacy,’ writes Paul Mills.

The Central Bank deliberately “watered down” economic warnings about the property bubble in the run-up to the crash, its former chief economist has claimed.

Bill O’Herlihy was among the first guests I recognised as our family took our seats for the IFTA awards ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House on Sunday night. We shared adjoining tables and, instinctively, I knew we’d say hello.

Prince Charles wished the students of IT Sligo “good luck in your exams” as he left the college following his short tour.

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe has said there is no evidence to support claims that Cork Airport is suffering a downgrade by stealth, despite opposition fears that the facility has become “subservient to the Dublin Airport Authority’s diktat”.

Ministers and TDs are inept as soon as responsibility becomes an issue. 

A prominent Fine Gael TD said he would not welcome Fianna Fáil back into Government "in any shape or form".

Health Minister Leo Varadkar said that the Fianna Fail Government produced horror stories in hospital emergency departments on an almost daily basis, when it was in power.