Q&A: Dáil's out for summer, so what are our TDs doing?
The Dáil rose on Thursday, July 16, and will return on Wednesday, September 16. File photo: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie
School is out for the summer. Or, if you are a politician in Leinster House, the Dáil and Seanad have risen until mid-September.
After a busy year in Leinster House, full of turbulence, departures, rows, and more failed heaves against Taoiseach Micheál Martin, another Dáil year has come to an end.
But do our politicians really get the summer off?
The Dáil typically convenes in mid-September and rises in mid-July.
In the 2025/2026 cycle, the Dáil met 104 times across 36 sitting weeks.
Much like the school calendar, TDs usually get a recess week in October, February, or March, and June. There are also three weeks off at Christmas, and two at easter.
Another unusual feature is that if there is a bank holiday on a Monday, the Dáil does not sit on the Tuesday. This is even though the Dáil does not sit on Mondays.
TDs argue that this is only fair because they miss out on constituency days on bank holiday Mondays and need to play catch-up on the Tuesday.
For TDs to receive their full allowances, they must register their attendance in Leinster House for at least 120 days annually.
A 1% deduction from their travel and accommodation allowance applies for every day less than 120 days.
This means that on top of 104 sitting days in this Dáil, TDs need to fob in for 16 additional days.
Many of them try to clock in during the year, on Mondays and Fridays, and during recess weeks.
However, some TDs will find themselves in Leinster House during the summer trying to make up their days.
The Dáil rose on Thursday, July 16, and will return on Wednesday, September 16.
However, the political calendar really starts the first week of September, as political parties hold their “think-ins” across the country, and the National Ploughing Championships attract large numbers of politicians.
They will argue that they are not.
Cabinet will continue to meet in Government Buildings for several more weeks, with meetings continuing for the entirety of July.
The agendas are typically busy, as ministers attempt to clear the decks before Cabinet breaks for August.
While most TDs will take a break at some stage over the summer months, the majority do spend most of the summer working in their constituency offices.
Rural politicians often say that their commutes to Dublin and the requirement to stay over several nights a week hamper their abilities to get constituency work done, so they relish the opportunity to get uninterrupted work done.
In fact, TDs often baulk when it is said they are going on holidays for the summer, with one TD scolding this reporter on Thursday morning for suggesting it was the last day of work for the summer.
While Leinster House stays open for the summer months, the opening hours are curtailed, and there are far fewer staff members on site.
This provides a much-deserved break for staff, who often work long days and late nights when the Dáil is sitting.
- Louise Burne, political correspondent
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