Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and acting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar are expected to discuss the ongoing stalemate in government formation when talks resume next week.

Happy Birthday to Green Man Wines in Terenure who had their fifth anniversary recently

Sinn Féin will hold more talks with Social Democrats, the Greens, Independents and others next week.

Cork County Council has elected a new mayor and welcomed four new councillors who were co-opted onto the local authority to replace members who have been elected to the Dáil.

Sixteen days on from the General Election, the road to government formation remains rocky and decidedly unclear.

Sinn Féin will meet smaller parties and Independents today as talks intensify to form a coalition government.

“That looks to me like it's the only real option at the moment. So I think what we're now doing is a kind of a mating dance with a result - which looks like it's going to be a Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael coalition," he said.

Mr Boyd Barrett said he believed there would be discussions between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil about a possible coalition and also Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Greens.

The General Election is next Saturday and I have a small plea to make — ask election candidates you encounter what they will do for small businesses such as your local wine merchant.

How can election candidates secure the votes of beef farmers?

Labour has not ruled out working with Sinn Fein in government, calling on left-leaning parties to join forces in voting pacts as the general election campaign gets underway.

When election time comes around I will be eagerly awaiting what I expect will be a doorstep diatribe of meaningless fawning waffle from politicians tip-toeing around the real issues of our time.

A “ragbag coalition” combining Fianna Fáil, Labour, the Social Democrats, Independents, or others will not offer the country stability, agriculture minister Michael Creed has warned.

The Green Party expects to secure a sizeable chunk of the vote in the upcoming poll, says Elaine Loughlin.

A new poll shows Fine Gael down 2 to 27% while Fianna Fáil is down 3 on 25%.

Sinn Féin’s Westminster abstentionist policy, the lack of an Assembly in the North, and absence from 2016 government formation talks have created a bad smell, writes Daniel McConnell

Fine Gael will be sorely tempted to seek an early General Election as its support now stands at 32%, up three points since the last poll in September.

There she stood in a largely empty Dail chamber. The day after the budget is the graveyard shift when it comes to contributions from opposition backbenchers.

Dublin City Councillors have voted to reduce the local property tax by 15% - the maximum amount allowed.

A few years ago on a visit to Chile I went for a swim in the Pacific Ocean at 7pm on a warm evening in mid-December, it was a little bracing but also blissfully refreshing.

An opinion poll has claimed Fianna Fáil is more popular than Fine Gael for the second month running amid ongoing speculation about an election in late 2019 or early next year.

A wave of Independents were swept into power in the last general election. The country was in recovery mode.

Election fever is cranking up, with the Government setting in train plans to have ballot papers ready to go in the event of a snap general election.

Solidarity-PBP's Ruth Coppinger is to meet the Agriculture Minister to seek clarity on his plans to ban fur farming in Ireland.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed is to bring a proposal to Government this week to phase out fur farms.

Sinn Féin never imagined their recent election results would be so poor and must now figure out how to get the electorate back on side, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell.

A poll-topping councillor in West Cork has been elected the Mayor of the County of Cork.

Fianna Fáil has cobbled together an alliance with Labour Party and Independents to ensure a county mayoral pact for the next five years of Cork County Council.

Congratulations to Eamon Ryan on the Green Party comeback in the elections and I hope you have learned the lessons of the past.

Fine Gael's Frances Fitzgerald has been elected to the European Parliament after the 14th count for the Dublin constituency.

The recount in the election for Wicklow County Council was suspended at 9.15pm tonight with just over a quarter of the ballot papers left to be checked.

The Independents look likely to form an alliance with Fianna Fáil to take control of Cork County Council when newly elected councillors meet for the first time on June 7.

Ireland South candidate Mick Wallace has warned he will “remain a thorn in the side of the government” if he is elected as an MEP.

Independents will hold sway in Cork’s County Hall despite Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael continuing to underline their dominance as the main parties in the local authority.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin might be tempted to take some Charles Dickens down from the bookshelf today and start adding in his own, personalised chapter.

The likely MEP elections Green gallop and a predicted left-leaning parties transfer trend could kick-start a debate about a long-overdue Irish "progressives" political bloc, writes political correspondent Fiachra Ó Cionnaith.

The largest public sector trade union in the country says its pledge to increase local authority funding and restore local council powers has received the backing of 10 parties fielding 1,056 local authority candidates in tomorrow’s elections.

There are two sleeps left to local and European elections on Friday.

There is going to be a large number of new faces in Cork’s County Hall after the local election counts are completed and their appearance may well alter the balance of power within the local authority.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has accused rival left-wing parties and Independents of acting like they are part of "the United Nations" instead of trying to help their communities on local councils.

On May 24 we will be asked to cast our votes in three important elections.

Joyce Fegan looks at the rising number of females on the ballot paper, and meets first-time candidates.