The Sinn Féin leader said the only people who didn't see the unrest in the capital coming were 'those in charge'

Mr O'Dowd has become the latest of several Fine Gael TDs who have announced the will be not contesting the next election. 

Taoiseach echoed a Biblical parable when welcoming the news of Emily Hand's release — but saying she was 'lost' rather than 'kidnapped' has angered Israel's foreign minister

"We would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us throughout this whole 50 days. You have been great. We can't do it without you"

While shopkeepers and store owners restored their premises for what should have been one of the busiest pre-Christmas days of the year, the consumer bonanza which is known as Black Friday, schools in Dublin were closing for the day

But Unicef chief tells UN Security Council that 5,300 children were killed in Gaza since October 7, some 40% of all deaths there

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is not sure that the Israeli government is listening to anyone, including US President Joe Biden.

Leo Varadkar said Ireland is continuing to push for a 'humanitarian ceasefire' in Gaza, to allow for key aid like food, fuel, and medicine to enter the enclave

Minister Simon Harris said he has “never hidden” his ambitions when asked if he aims to lead his party and become Taoiseach.

Leo Varadkar told his party's special conference that 70% of Fine Gael's candidates for the next local elections had been selected and the rest would be picked by Christmas

New European Commission figures show rate of increase of Ukrainians arriving in Ireland since September 2022 was ten times higher than the EU average

Leo Varadkar's call in the wake of the Ashling Murphy case to build more prisons is a deflection from his government's failure to act on giving judges more sentencing powers

Mr Varadkar rejected the suggestion that the Government's actions had not matched its words on the Gaza conflict.

If this year's Fine Gael party conference was to be a rallying cry, the results are mixed.

The Taoiseach has called for more prison spaces in a bid to allow judges impose minimum sentences.

As Dublin vigil marks hostage Emily Hand's ninth birthday, Taoiseach says officials 'very much working on case'

State had to charter €7,000-an-hour aircraft to bring Tánaiste to Middle East after Learjet broke down again

Leo Varadkar said that changes to rules regarding trade and aid could be looked at when the fighting in Gaza is over

Leo Varadkar said that the Government has agreed to additional funding, contingent on 'certain reforms'

Framing the expulsion as a tactical measure to bring about peace may prove important but will putting the ball in Israel's court change the game, or end Ireland’s participation in it altogether?

Leo Varadkar will also talk to Middle East leaders in the French capital about how to assist Irish citizens wishing to leave Gaza safely

Leo Varadkar told the Dáil he has been "struck" by the number of children who have been killed

Any public inquiry into how the emergency was handled may reveal mistakes were made but it was done with honesty, good faith, and unremitting hard work

Tom Hand said: 'I beg you, on bended knees to please release the children, including Emily... let’s start with the children'

Taoiseach expresses regret over the decision by the Government to introduce Ireland’s final lockdown in December 2021

Policy changes likely to be introduced before the end of the year

Ireland has become something of an outlier across Europe in its statements on the violence in Gaza, being the loudest voice in the EU calling for a ceasefire, while domestically the Government has been criticised for not imposing sanctions on Israel

Leo Varadkar said 'there will still be a lot of people who would refuse to pay and resent paying' the household media charge mooted to replace the TV licence fee

The senator said: 'I just don’t see how you would be motivated to rebuild the party in opposition.'

Ms McDonald said that ambassador Dana Erlich's position had become 'untenable'

Leo Varadkar said Ireland is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire so the violence stops

Taoiseach also rules out forming a voting pact among the Coalition parties

Media were warned not to take any pictures or record any footage while travelling through the demilitarised zone out of fear that North Korea's army would learn of defence mechanisms

Fine Gael's director of elections and general secretary recently held individual meetings with senators, stoking speculation that a general election may be called earlier than expected next year

I am writing in response to Anja Murray’s insightful article titled ‘We cannot continue to ignore natural flood management in Ireland,’ published on October 30.

It comes amid intense speculation around Leinster House in recent weeks over whether Mr Varadkar will remain on as leader of Fine Gael after the next election

The tripartite agreement had sailed along with little threatening to take it down, but this week’s row about the duration of State accommodation for Ukrainian refugees represented a challenge

Statement urges 'continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors' and 'pauses for humanitarian needs'

Relief schemes for Midleton and other flood-prone areas will have to be rolled out in tandem with wider land use plans, the Taoiseach has said.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a long-standing and intricate issue, and it is essential that we approach it with a balanced and nuanced perspective

Given their massive and complex task, and the limited time available to them, the assembly has done its bit for society. It is now in the hands of the politicians

Further status orange and yellow rain warnings have been issued for areas in the south of the country

The Oireachtas has the "responsibility" to find a legal mechanism to implement a landmark recommendation from the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs — that possession of drugs for personal use should be “effectively” decriminalised.

The devastating flooding in Midleton has brought a clearer awareness of the reality of the climate emergency home to our doorstep