Ciara Phelan: Deja vu as Dáil returns with same old issues up for debate

The first day back in the Dáil was flat and tiring, perhaps a reflection of the public’s mood, writes Ciara Phelan

Protesters hold pictures of TDs including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a makeshift scaffold with effigy outside Leinster House, Dublin, as the Dáil resumes after the summer recess. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

There was a real sense of deja vu as the Dáil returned after politicians took a break for the summer.

As the three Coalition leaders attend a UN General Assembly in New York, Fine Gael deputy leader and Trade Minister Simon Coveney stepped in to take Leaders’ Questions, telling Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald it was good to have her back after illness.