Very much in favour of Seamus Coleman’s final international act - if this is to be his finale - being to give an urgent and impassioned pep talk to a debutant sub. 🇮🇪

Catherine Connolly announces Councll of State nominees: Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (QUB lawyer) Linda Ervine (Unionist Gaeilge advocate) Colin Harvey (QUB human rights) Kathleen Lynch (UCD sociology) Donncha O’Connell (Uni Galway law) Conor O’Mahony (UCC law) Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh (former pres Uni Galway)

Small but possibly symbolic change to Dáil rules: the threshold for opposition parties demanding a roll-call vote is being raised. Where contentious votes could previously be repeated at opposition's behest, if the margin was within 10 votes, the rule now stands at 5 - all but ending the practice

In an unexpected development, Oireachtas members have today received an invite to attend a political briefing next month organised by... KFC

A hotline between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave Moscow strategic information on critical EU issues…” theins.press/en/inv/290911

Getting ready to go on #MondayGR, live at 10 on Virgin Media One. Tonight: the government says it has no plan for fuel rationing, but the EU tonight asks member states to start cutting back on their use… James Lawless explains the stance, and his aspirations for 42,000 new student homes

Latest @irishpollingind.bsky.social estimates: Sinn Féin: 24% [22–26] Fianna Fáil: 17.5% [16.5–19] Fine Gael: 17.5% [16–19] Ind/Others: 12.5% [11–14.5] Soc Dems: 8.5% [7–9.5] Aontú: 5% [4–6] II: 4.5% [3.5–5.5] Labour: 4.5% [3.5–5] Greens: 3% [2.5–4] S-PBP: 2.5% [2–3.5] ▶️ pollingindicator.com

POLL: Business Post/Red C (March 20-25, MoE 3%) Sinn Féin 24 (+1 for four weeks) Fine Gael 18 Fianna Fáil 16 (-1) Social Democrats 8 (-1) Aontú 6 (+1) Ind Ireland 5 (+1) Labour 4 (-1) PBP-Solidarity 3 Greens 3 Independents 12 (-1)

1️⃣7️⃣,3️⃣0️⃣8️⃣ Another new record for people living in emergency accommodation, as of the end of February 2026. The overall number includes 5,457 children, and is up 12.5% in a year. @virginmedianews.bsky.social

That’s the decks cleared for Meath’s championship run anyway.

Fingernails down to the stump. This delirious torture

Quickly succeeded

Genuinely stunning that they’ve managed to avoid literally one booking so far

Brief non-football interlude: Trump further extends pause on destroying Iranian energy plants (a war crime)

Longest half hour in the history of time

This lot are dirt. Kill it by HT

Take it away, Luciano. 🇮🇪

Helen McEntee tells the Dáil there are doubts about whether EU law allows Ireland ban import of services from illegal Israeli settlements, and the AG's advice (which she's not at liberty to share) 'reflects' this difficulty of going beyond the Programme for Government promise to ban trade in goods

Just sent the missus out the door not by wishing her a good day, but a ‘good pre-match buildup’. Nothing’s getting done today is it?

A Seanad has passed a motion calling for a referendum to cap the number of TDs, breaking its link with the general population. The government chose not to oppose the (non-binding) motion from independent senators led by Victor Boyhan and Michael McDowell. @virginmedianews.bsky.social

Hard to see any patients being treated in the new children’s hospital in 2026 now - CHI estimated that commissioning would take 7 months from the final handover, and if that’s not in April…

Cuts to excise duties on petrol and diesel - and a suspension of the NORA levy on motor fuel and home heating oil - will take effect from midnight. Sinn Féin voted against the measures taking effect, as did independent TD Carol Nolan. All other TDs backed the cut. @virginmedianews.bsky.social

If you missed the debut of Monday with Gavan Reilly last night, you can catch up with the full show in podcast form on… 🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4hF5zxT... 🎧 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/m... 📺 …and watch back on Virgin Media Play: play.virginmediatelevision.ie/watch/replay...

New student accommodation strategy includes a contentious proposition: 32k new campus beds effectively to be built by private sector, on campus land, with similar pricing and rent controls as off-campus purpose built student housing. The era of colleges building and owning res is over it seems

Simon Harris tells me the ethos of the intervention today on excise and household fuels is to “keep the powder dry for the time ahead” - cannot say whether the full 22c decrease on diesel, and 17c on petrol, would reverse in one go on May 31st. @virginmedianews.bsky.social

Live on the telly in two minutes. Tune in! #MondayGR

NEW: #MondayGR 🚨 Petrol taxes to fall by 17c/litre (including VAT) from midnight tomorrow 🚨 Diesel to fall by 22c/litre 📉 Fall will come through excise cuts and suspending NORA levy 🚨 Dáil will be asked to vote through measures tomorrow 🚨 Higher commercial diesel rebate @virginmedianews.bsky.social

Be part of the conversation on #MondayGR tonight - send us your comments at wa.me/353896074218. What do you want to see the government do to help you with this spike in costs?

Starting tonight at 10…

Have to re-engage my writing muscle for something a lot of you may have interest in in the months ahead. For now, here’s this inside track on how the White House meeting played out in the Taoiseach’s orbit.

The death has been announced of former RTÉ Sport broadcaster Michael Lyster. He was 71. www.facebook.com/share/p/18XF...

@tg4.bsky.social appreciation skeet. Sár-Sár-Domhnaigh ar siúl.

More on this broader topic coming soon, by the way, in longer-format. Did the Taoiseach and Ireland really get off scot-free from Donald Trump's White House? Or is there a mounting list of demands and grievances that could shape the Irish-US relationship going forward? (Ans: Yes)

Mission accomplished? Hard to assess failure when you haven’t committed to any goals. (That closing comment about leaving it up to others to ensure oil supplies get through Hormuz is a cliffhanger…)

Politics doesn’t have to be confusing… you just need someone to break it down 🧩 @gavreilly.com makes sense of the stories that matter. 📺 Monday with Gavan Reilly | Every Monday 10pm | Virgin Media One.

✨ Some personal news… ✨ A new adventure begins next week. My panel and I break down the news and the news-to-come. It's Monday, and I'm Gavan Reilly, so this is 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲. Live, at 10pm, on Virgin Media Play and Virgin Media One.

🚨 Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris tells the Dáil that decisions on measures to address rising fuel costs will likely be made at Cabinet next week, to take effect quickly and for a short period of time given the volatility of the situation @virginmedianews.bsky.social

Donald Trump confirms he intends to visit Doonbeg for the Irish Open this September (pre-empting any invite the Taoiseach was about to give)

Farewell, sweet prince

Also of note today: for the first time I can remember, the President’s Mar 17 schedule officially includes a greeting with the Deputy First Minister (ahead of the ‘shamrock reception’ later in the day). Challenges the Sinn Féin boycott argument that any of its reps would not have Donald Trump’s ear

On today’s pool assignment for the White House, meaning they’ll have one of the precious few American media spots for the Oval Office today when the Taoiseach sits down with Donald Trump: GB News

46 points is the highest losing score (in 80 minutes) in international Test history.

Time makes mugs of us all

That time Ronnie Drew was nearly driven mad by a parrot in Dublin zoo

Counting the hours until he admits the same for DOGE

A tremendous piece, absolutely worth your time (and sorry if it pisses in our chips on Gold Cup day). www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...