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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and affected the political system of the Republic of Ireland, causing suspensions of legislative activities and isolation of multiple politicians due to fears of spreading the virus. Several politicians have tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
On 8 February, a general election took place in Ireland, before the outbreak had been declared a pandemic or reached Europe. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael began talks on government formation on 11 March prompted by the public health emergency posed by COVID-19. [1] [2]
On 20 February, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offered his resignation to President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin, remaining, however, as Taoiseach in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government. [3] President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald was the first high-profile politician affected by the spread of COVID-19, with her party cancelling events and her family entering self-isolation for a period, after McDonald confirmed on 2 March that her children attended the same school as the student with the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Ireland. [4]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish government introduced various public health and economic measures to mitigate its impact.
The virus reached the country in late February 2020 [5] and cases soon confirmed in all counties. [6] The government shut schools, childcare facilities and cultural institutions on 12 March 2020. [7] Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the first stay-at-home order on 27 March, which banned all non-essential travel and contact with others. [8]
Infections and deaths dropped to low levels by summer 2020 and restrictions were gradually lifted. Across the country, social distancing measures, self-isolation laws for those exposed to the virus and rules on face masks were introduced, as well as efforts to expand COVID-19 testing and tracing. In autumn and winter 2020, nationwide lockdowns were introduced in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the Alpha variant. A COVID-19 vaccination programme began in December 2020. In mid-2021, the government lifted restrictions during the fourth wave driven by the Delta variant, until further restrictions were reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant in December that year. Remaining restrictions were lifted from 28 February 2022 under a Living with COVID-19 plan announced by the government in early 2022.On 9 March, a Cabinet Sub-Committee on COVID-19 was established. [9] [10] It published a National Action Plan on 16 March. [11]
On 19 March, Dáil Éireann reconvened under social distancing measures to pass emergency legislation. At the written request of Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the sitting was limited to 48 TDs (11 each representing Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, four Greens, three members of the Regional Group and two members of all other parties and groups). The legislation—Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020—passed all stages, and, following requests by opposition TDs, included a sunset provision for review in November. [12] During the sitting, Eamon Ryan called on the Irish to grow lettuce on their window sills: "Let's get every south facing window sill in this country and lets plant our seeds in the next week so that if there is any supply crisis in food in two or three months time when this really hits hard, we'll have our salads ready to go". [13]
On 20 March, Seanad Éireann—also sitting in reduced numbers—passed the legislation after a three-hour debate. [14] President Higgins wrote the legislation into law later that day, giving the state the power to detain people, restrict travel and keep people in their homes to restrict the pandemic. [15]
At its next sitting—on 26 March—the Dáil passed further emergency legislation—Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (COVID-19) Bill 2020—introduced due to the virus, again with deliberately limited numbers attending, and without a vote. [16] President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald was absent after announcing on Twitter that she had awoken with a "head cold" and that Pearse Doherty would lead the party instead. [17] [18] The election for Leas-Cheann Comhairle (deputy "chair" or "speaker" of Dáil Éireann) was scheduled for early that morning, but was deferred. Taoiseach Varadkar asked Denis Naughten to temporarily fill the role to avert a possible constitutional crisis, with the previous occupant Pat "the Cope" Gallagher having lost his seat in the February general election and the need for a Leas-Cheann Comhairle being regarded as critical should Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl become incapacitated. [19] [20] Naughten, a former Fine Gael politician who left the party to sit as an independent, had run against Ó Fearghaíl during the earlier election to fill the main office. After passing through the Dáil, the bill passed without a vote the following day (27 March) through all stages in the Seanad (in its final sitting before counting got underway in the Seanad election which had to follow the 2020 general election), and President Higgins signed the bill into law the same day. [21] [22] There followed a paralysis of the national legislature on the basis that the Taoiseach had to nominate the final eleven members of the Seanad, Varadkar (as outgoing Taoiseach) did not have the support of the Dáil (and was therefore prevented by the Constitution from filling the vacancies) and no other nomination for Taoiseach could be agreed upon by all parties in the Dáil. [23] [24]
The Dáil met again—one week after its previous sitting—on 2 April again with deliberately limited numbers, this time augmented by a Labour Party boycott—while Mary Lou McDonald's absence continued (announced the previous day) due to her being "under the weather". [25] [26]
The Dáil's next meeting occurred from 12 midday to 7:30 pm on 23 April (following the Easter break), at which a limited number of its members discussed the impact of the virus. [27]
With a new government formed on 27 June, the Dáil moved from its traditional home at Leinster House to the Convention Centre to facilitate social distancing. Thus it was that, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin rotated into position as Taoiseach on a contract of two and a bit years. [28] Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl confirmed as early as March that arrangements were being made for the move from Leinster House for the occasion, with Dublin Castle also having been suggested as a possible venue. [29] [30] The Convention Centre was announced in early April as having been selected. [31] The Dáil sat in the Convention Centre from June until it was announced on 11 September that it would return to Leinster House for socially-distanced debates on Tuesdays and Thursdays while continuing at the Convention Centre on Wednesdays with full attendance where required for voting purposes. [32]
Many politicians have had to adapt their political campaigning to the restrictions imposed by Level 5 restrictions. Ministers such as Roderic O'Gorman, conducted meetings of the public online, facilitated by Zoom software, instead of face-to-face. [33]
On 5 August, a video emerged online appearing to show multiple breaches of COVID-19 regulations at the pub owned by Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae in Kilgarvan, County Kerry, with young people gathering in the pub wearing no masks, with no social distancing and with access to the bar. [34] [35] The next day, on 6 August, Gardaí began preliminary inquiries into the indoor gathering at the pub. [36] On 8 January 2022, there was to be no prosecution following an investigation into possible breaches of COVID-19 health regulations in the pub. [37]
On the night of 4 September, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar faced criticism after a photograph emerged on social media showing him at the Mighty Hoopla music festival in London on the same weekend Electric Picnic was cancelled in Ireland due to the Government's COVID-19 restrictions. [38]
August 2020 brought the Oireachtas Golf Society scandal. On 21 August, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary and Seanad Leas-Chathaoirleach Jerry Buttimer resigned after they attended the event, in contravention of regulations under the Health Act. [39] [40] Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Trade, soon followed, having also travelled through Kildare while the county was in lockdown and when he was supposed to be self-isolating after arriving in Ireland from Brussels. [41] [42] Meanwhile, amid the golf reports, the new Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly equated COVID-19 to jumping on a trampoline, only to formally retract it afterwards while speaking before an Oireachtas committee. [43]
August 2021 brought the Merrion Hotel controversy. On 4 August, political pressure was mounting on former Minister for Children Katherine Zappone, who was controversially appointed UN special envoy on freedom of expression, after she organised an outdoor 50-person event at the Merrion Hotel on 21 July and stated that she was "assured" by the hotel that the event was "in compliance with Government COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines". Zappone ultimately declined her UN role after the appointment process was strongly criticised. [44] [45] The controversy took another twist as the Government Press Office released a statement saying that advice from the Attorney General Paul Gallagher was that organised events and gatherings could take place for up to 200 people "including social, recreational, exercise, cultural, entertainment or community events". [46] Comparisons were made between the gathering and the Golfgate scandal from earlier in the pandemic. [47]
December 2021 brought the Department of Foreign Affairs controversy. On 29 December, an image emerged in the Irish Daily Star , Daily Mail and Irish Mirror newspapers showing at least 20 senior officials and staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs gathering without face coverings or regard for social distancing and drinking bottles of Moët & Chandon at Iveagh House, the headquarters of the department, in breach of public health guidelines on 17 June 2020, when Ireland was elected to the UN Security Council. [48] [49] At the time of the incident, Ireland was at phase two of a roadmap issued by the government for reopening the national economy after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when a person could only meet people from up to six other households and working from home was advised. [50] [51] In a statement, a spokesperson for the department said "steps had been taken" after the UN Security Council campaign team "briefly let their guard down", blaming "a moment of happiness" for the incident and insisting that "lessons have been learned". [52] [53]
The Iveagh House party was compared to the Golfgate scandal by People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who said it undermined the public health effort, and those involved seemed to believe the rules only applied to "little people", [54] [55] while Independent TD Michael McNamara criticised the department for "hypocrisy". [56] [57]
On 16 January 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney ordered an investigation into the gathering. [58] On 31 January, an investigation found that a "serious breach" of social distancing rules occurred. [59] The former Secretary General Niall Burgess, who was responsible for the photograph, was asked to make a donation to a charity providing assistance to people affected by COVID-19 in the amount of €2,000, while three other senior officials were asked to make a donation in the amount of €1,000. [60]
On 16 March, Thomas Pringle, an independent TD representing the Donegal constituency, entered isolation due to previous contact with someone in Dublin and the high risk to his own personal health. [61] [62]
On 18 March, Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, the independent MEP representing the Midlands–North-West constituency, announced that he and his family would begin self-isolating after his daughter exhibited symptoms of COVID-19. [63]
On 19 March, it was reported that Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy had been in self-isolation for the past week after returning from a visit abroad to see family. Murphy had set off before travel advice against doing so was issued and—while he had "not been in direct physical contact with any colleagues"—he, nevertheless, was well enough to continue his work remotely. [64]
On 23 March, Tánaiste Simon Coveney revealed he had tested negative for COVID-19. He underwent the test after being contact traced via the positive result of Claire Byrne, whom he had sat beside on live television less than two weeks previously. [65] It was believed that Coveney was the first member of the Varadkar cabinet to be tested for the virus. [66]
On 14 April (the day after the Easter Monday public holiday), President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald confirmed she had tested positive for COVID-19. [67]
On 23 April, President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald announced that she had recovered from COVID-19. She gave an interview to Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show the following night, in which one COVID-19 positive person interviewed another COVID-19 positive person for television viewers nationwide. [68] [69]
On 3 June, it was revealed that Minister for Health Simon Harris had self-isolated for several days after developing symptoms of the virus; a test returned a negative result. [70]
On 15 September, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl announced that the entire government would have to restrict their movements after Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly reported feeling unwell and contacted his GP for a COVID-19 test. [71] [72] [73] The Department of Health confirmed that Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn was also restricting his movements as he had met members of the government on 14 September, [74] [75] [76] while Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne had gone into self-isolation after getting tested for COVID-19. [77] [78] The Leader of the Green Party and Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport Eamon Ryan previously self-isolated while a member of his household awaited results of a COVID-19 test. [79] Just after 9 pm, it was announced that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly tested negative for COVID-19 and that the government no longer needed to restrict their movements. [80] [81]
On 23 September, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe were among the three cabinet ministers who began to restrict their movements under COVID-19 public health advice. [82] Varadkar was informed that he was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, and subsequently took a test which returned negative. [83] [84] Coveney restricted his movements after attending meetings in Brussels, while Donohoe restricted his movements after attending a meeting of EU finance ministers in Berlin and subsequently took a test which returned negative. [85] [86] Donohoe was deemed a close contact of Bruno Le Maire, the French Finance Minister, who tested positive for COVID-19 on 18 September. [87]
On 24 October, four Fine Gael senators (Tim Lombard, Jerry Buttimer, Emer Currie, Garret Ahearn) were reported to have begun self-isolating after two tested positive for COVID-19. [88] [89] Currie later confirmed she was one of the two, and that her positive result had caused the other three to isolate. [90]
On 17 December, Taoiseach Micheál Martin tested negative for COVID-19 following an announcement that he was restricting his movements after coming into close contact with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had tested positive for COVID-19. [91]
On 23 December, all ministers in the Government restricted their movements after it emerged that Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue had tested positive for COVID-19. McConalogue was tested after returning from Brussels on 17 December. The result was negative. He then went shopping in Dublin city centre hours ahead of a scheduled five-day follow-up COVID-19 test which led to the positive result McConalogue received "sometime between 10.30am and 11am" on 23 December. He displayed no symptoms and isolated in his native County Donegal. [92] [93]
Shortly after 11 am on the morning of 6 January 2021, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced on Twitter that she had tested positive for COVID-19 but intended to work remotely while isolating. [94] [95]
On 13 October, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that he was self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms. [96]
On 6 November, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan tested positive for COVID-19 and cancelled his trip to the COP26 conference in Glasgow. [97] [98] The next day, it was confirmed that he tested negative after taking a second test and would now travel to COP26. [99]
On 7 November, Minister of State for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy Frank Feighan experienced symptoms of COVID-19 and a positive test result was announced the next day. [100]
On 22 November 2021, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl began self-isolating and working from home after testing positive for COVID-19. Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly took over his duties. [101]
On 19 December, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan began self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. [102]
On 11 March 2022, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris began working from home after testing positive for COVID-19. [103]
On 12 March, Thomas Pringle announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be isolating for seven days. [104]
Late on 16 March, Taoiseach Micheál Martin tested positive for COVID-19 while he was at an event in Washington being held for St Patrick's Day. [105] This meant Martin could not personally meet President of the United States Joe Biden at the White House as planned the next day. Biden and Martin met virtually instead, with Martin isolating in Blair House. Martin said he would chair the next cabinet meeting from the Irish embassy in Washington. [106]
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue had been due to travel to Canada for St Patrick's Day in March 2022. However, he later confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test had prevented him from doing so. His period of isolation elapsed in time for him to sit on the "VIP lorry" at the parade in Buncrana. [107]
On 23 March, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee tested positive for COVID-19, while Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly began self-isolating at home due to flu-like symptoms. [108]
Two days later, on 25 March, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar cancelled a number of engagements in Cork and began self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. [109]
On 13 June, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan tested positive for COVID-19 a second time. [110]
Micheál Martin is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Defence since December 2022. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and has been Leader of Fianna Fáil since January 2011. He has been a TD for Cork South-Central since 1989. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2020 and held various Cabinet offices under Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.
Denis Naughten is an Irish independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Roscommon–Galway constituency since 2016, and previously from 2007 to 2016 for the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency and from 1997 to 2007 for the Longford–Roscommon constituency. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands in September 2020. He previously served as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment from 2016 to 2018. He was a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from January 1997 to June 1997.
Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A TD for the Dublin West constituency since 2007, he has held a range of other ministerial positions in the Irish government. His political stances have been described as centre-right economically; he has advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.
Fine Gael is a political party in Ireland, formed in 1933 as a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the National Centre Party, and the Blueshirts.
Simon Harris is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016 and as a minister since 2016.
Charles McConalogue is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Donegal North-East constituency. He previously served as Minister of State for Law Reform from July 2020 to September 2020.
Regina Doherty is an Irish Fine Gael politician who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency since the 2024 European Parliament election. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath East constituency from 2011 to 2020. She was the Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2020 to 2024, serving as leader of the Seanad from 2020 to 2022 and Deputy leader of the Seanad from 2022 to 2024. She served as Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection from 2017 to 2020 and Government Chief Whip from 2016 to 2017.
The 32nd Dáil was elected at the 2016 general election on 26 February and first met at 10.30 a.m. on 10 March 2016. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 25th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The 2020 Irish general election took place on Saturday 8 February, to elect the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament. The election was called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the president, at the request of the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, on 14 January 2020. The members, Teachtaí Dála (TDs), were elected by single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies. It was the first election since 1918 to be held on a weekend.
Events during the year 2020 in Ireland. As in most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic dominated events in Ireland during this year.
There have been three governments of the 33rd Dáil to date, being coalition governments of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. This followed the 2020 general election to Dáil Éireann held on 8 February, and negotiations on a programme for government that lasted till June. The parties agreed on a rotation, with the two major party leaders alternating as Taoiseach. The makeup of the parties resulted in a centrist coalition. It was the first time that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have participated in the same government, which Leo Varadkar described as the end of what has often been referred to as Civil War politics.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, educational and sporting implications.
The Oireachtas Golf Society scandal, also known informally as "Golfgate", was a political scandal in Ireland involving past and present members of that country's parliament, the Oireachtas, who attended a gathering of the Oireachtas Golf Society in Clifden, County Galway, on 19 August 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on the Irish economy, leading it into a recession. Essential public health measures announced by the Irish Government to contain the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the largest monthly increase in unemployment in the history of the Republic of Ireland during March 2020. By 24 April, there were more than one million people in receipt of support interventions to the labour market, including those in receipt of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the COVID-19 Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. While there were job losses in all sectors, individuals working in tourism, hospitality, food and retail have seen the largest job losses.
On 12 March 2020, all schools, colleges, and childcare facilities in the Republic of Ireland were shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shutdown resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 Leaving Certificate and 2020–2021 Junior Certificate examinations, as well as all 2020–2021 Irish language summer courses in the Gaeltacht.
Events during the year 2021 in Ireland. As in most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated events in Ireland during this year.
The Katherine Zappone controversy, also known as the Merrion Hotel controversy or Merrion Gate, was a political scandal in Ireland involving associates and former colleagues of former Minister for Children Katherine Zappone who attended an outdoor gathering at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin, on 21 July 2021, six days prior to her controversial appointment as UN special envoy.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland in 2022.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish government introduced various public health and economic measures to mitigate its impact.
Leo Varadkar wrote to them last night stating: '... the public health emergency posed by Covid-19 marks a dramatic change in context.' So no more talk of 'leading his party' into Opposition. It's game on.
I will be hosting a public meeting for constituents on the 2nd of March 2021. The meeting is in relation to the consultation currently taking place on the Phoenix Park Transport and Mobility Options Report which was published earlier this year. The meeting will take place via zoom and will start at 7pm
In a post on his Facebook page yesterday, the Killybegs man said he would be isolating for the next week.
