If he was a man under pressure, Leo Varadkar wasn’t showing it during a leisurely visit to St Joseph’s College in the Dublin suburb of Lucan.

Independent TD and former minister Denis Naughten said he will only support the Government on a case-by-case basis, should a vote of confidence be called.

With the Dáil set to return later this month for the last session, those hoping for a summer general election might as well forget about it.

The by-election is to replace Fine Gael TD Frances Fitzgerald who was elected as an MEP in May.

With business exceedingly slow at polling stations yesterday, it is clear the four by-elections have not captured the public’s imagination.

Voters in Dublin Mid-West aren’t talking about immigration. They’re far more worried about housing, transport, and a little boy named Sam, writes Juno McEnroe

Fine Gael’s best chance of winning one of the four by-elections is in Dublin Mid-West.

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

A Fine Gael councillor and by-election candidate has apologised after she boasted and expressed her “delight” at a Traveller housing scheme being scrapped in her area.

Secretary-General of Justice Aidan O’Driscoll told the Oireachtas committee relating to his department that “as a secretary-general of two departments I can say this could have happened in any department”.

Consultants at EY were paid €2.9m for their advice in the restructuring of the Department of Justice, TDs will be told today.

The newest member of the Seanad has promised to represent farmers who want a new vision for agriculture in Ireland that is in tune with the environment and biodiversity.

It's the saga that has sparked a thousand memes and has had people chattering in pubs, golf clubs, office canteens, and taxi cabs.

Fine Gael MEPs have rejected widespread criticism that they are turning their backs on refugees fleeing across the Mediterranean after voting against a European parliament motion to improve supports for migrants making the journey.

There was a shocked reaction in the political world during the week when details of a protection racket emerged in court.

Dublin City Council has refused to clarify if its chief executive Owen Keegan or senior management knew that protection money was paid to criminals under the guise of ‘security’ at a housing development.

They agreed the end of November would be the best time for the elections to replace TDs who had been elected to the European Parliament last May.

Fine Gael is only aiming to win one out of the four upcoming by-election seats.

Addressing his party colleagues in Cork the Taoiseach said May would be the best time for the country to go to the polls.

Four by-elections to fill Dáil seats left empty as a result of the European elections could take place on the same day in a "Super Friday" style election day as soon as the first half of November.

We take a trip down memory lane and check out what happened on this day in years gone by by looking back at some Irish Examiner front pages and highlighting other events which went down in history across the world.

Some 450 Department of Justice staff are changing positions as part of a major overhaul, following a number of scandals in recent years.

Not since the days of Big Tom and the Mainliners Showband tours has the country been traversed as extensively and in rapid-speed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has signalled to a meeting of his Fine Gael ministers that he would prefer the upcoming by-elections to be held in November, even if his party is unlikely to win any of them.

On your marks, get set, g-... Actually, would you mind holding on for a few months? One of you looks trapped by Brexit, and the other wants to tie his laces, again.

The Dublin MEP said her support for the Brexit withdrawal agreement and understanding of the peace process must be welcomed.

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.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is preparing to fight an early winter snap general election to win a third term for Fine Gael if a Brexit deal is hammered out by Halloween.

Fianna Fáil's Billy Kelleher has thanked the people of Cork North Central and said it was nice to leave the Dáil "on your own terms”.