Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· The posters are going up, and candidates are preparing their pitch, but could Sinn Féin come up empty-handed in both the Dublin Central (party leader Mary Lou McDonald’s constituency) and Galway West byelection when the votes are counted on May 23rd? And does a vote against Government no longer mean a vote for the republican party?

· Given how many prominent Irish politicians retire and become silent, perhaps former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s unguarded opinions should be viewed as refreshing. The recent release of his book Speaking My Mind and various podcast contributions point to someone unafraid to give their unvarnished opinion.

· And President Catherine Connolly made her first trip overseas, attending the Defence of Democracy conference in Spain. Traditionalists might argue her first visit abroad should have been to meet another head of state.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

· Michael Jackson in Cork and the 10-year-old at his hotel, the ascent of Green Party leader Zack Polanski, and the cultural obsession with the 1990s.

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The country is moving on from the protests that dominated the national discussion over Easter, even as what the protests actually meant continues to generate debate.

Leo Varadkar poured more fuel on the fire by telling rural dwellers that, far from them being the backbone that holds up the country, it is their city cousins who pay all the bills. Could these events mark the start of deeper urban-rural divide in politics? It seems very possible the protests will be looked back on as an important step in Ireland’s political evolution, wherever that leads.

Today Hugh is joined by UCD political economy lecturer Michael Byrne and political correspondent Ellen Coyne to talk about what the events of April 2026 have revealed about Irish society, Irish politics and how Irish people look at democracy, protest and the urban-rural divide.

You can read Michael Byrne’s Substack blog on housing here.

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Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· There were renewed questions about the future of Micheál Martin’s leadership in the aftermath of the fuel protests and the resignation of former Independent minister Michael Healy-Rae from Government. Fianna Fáil TDs James O'Connor, Ryan O’Meara and Albert Dolan outlined their “real and deep concern” with the Government’s response to the protests in a statement on Wednesday. However, any momentum behind a challenge to Martin had faded by Thursday night as Fianna Fáil Ministers and TDs rallied behind him.

· Another consequence of the Government’s response to the fuel protests has been the potential impact on Fianna Fáil’s relationship with rural Ireland. Will Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan’s announcement last week that the Army was being called in to clear fuel protest blockades come back to haunt the party?

· And President Catherine Connolly will meet her Council of State next Monday to consider the constitutionality of the recently passed International Protection Bill.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

· US vice-president JD Vance takes issue with Pope Leo, excitement builds (mainly Pat’s) ahead of the Munster senior hurling championship, and how Irish energy prices compare amid the shock to oil and gas prices.

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