“Our phones are turned on,” said Michael Healy-Rae, and priorities were “‘Kerry, Kerry and Kerry’ – be that roads, infrastructure, housing, health, fishing, farming.”
The Independent TD made these comments shortly after the general election signalling both his and brother Danny’s willingness to engage in Government formation talks.
The Healy-Raes’ time in Government – little over 14 months – was short-lived enough but they – and Michael as junior minister in particular – will no doubt claim to have had an impact.
A short time after the Coalition was formed Michael, then-newly appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, heralded more than €33 million in road grants announced for their Kerry constituency (out of a national total of €713 million) saying: “The people want tar and that is what we will give them”.
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He later put pressure on Government colleagues over plans to crackdown on short-term letting – an important issue in a tourism county (changes were later made to the proposals) – and the European Union’s Mercosur trade deal with South American countries – which Ireland went on to oppose amid concern over the impact on farming here.
That is a potted history of Michael Healy-Rae’s time in Government.
Now he has departed as a junior minister, claiming the Coalition has “let the people down” and both he and Danny voted against the Government in Tuesday’s confidence motion brought on by Sinn Féin’s motion of no confidence over the handling of last week’s fuel protests.
As Jack-Horgan Jones, Pat Leahy and Marie O’Halloran report in today’s lead, the Government has suffered its first major defection.
In her Dáil sketch, Miriam Lord sets the scene of a dramatic afternoon as the confidence motion approached writing: “Would the rural-based Healy-Rae brothers – one of them a nailed-on Minister of State – stay put and absorb the damage to their successful political brand or retire to spend more time with their early-won concessions for Kerry?”
They chose the latter option.
On the opinion pages Gerard Howlin writes Michael Healy-Rae reminded the Government of its real Opposition: rural Ireland.
In his analysis Leahy considers the question of whether the Coalition is now under threat and expressed the view that the Government “looks weaker, more unsure, more brittle.”
He also says one takeaway from the day is “it felt like we were entering a new phase in the Government’s life and in politics more generally, one where pressure on the administration from external economic circumstances will become the norm”, and “That pressure will be felt individually by TDs who support the Coalition.”
The Healy-Raes’ withdrawal of support leaves the three-legged Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael- Independents Coalition stool looking a bit wobblier.
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We report Minister Patrick O’Donovan is not seeking media coverage review of fuel protests despite suggestion he would.
Colm Keena writes O’Donovan probably does not have the power to direct an inquiry into media coverage of the fuel protests, and most certainly should not want to issue such a direction, according to academic Roddy Flynn.
In her column Kathy Sheridan says the fuel protests were a display of mine-is-bigger-than-yours machismo.
Elements of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme are causing “segregation in the artistic community” and allowing some people to take advantage of the system, officials have been told as a new round of funding opens for applications. Órla Ryan has the story.
Playbook
Dáil proceedings begin at 9am with an opportunity for TDs to raise topical issues.
The Social Democrats have a motion on tackling soaring energy costs to be debated from 10am.
Leaders’ Questions is at noon.
Government business in the afternoon starts with a debate on the International Protection Bill 2026 at 2:12pm.
There are “statements on football” scheduled for 5:12pm.
The weekly Dáil votes are due to happen at 9:44pm.
There will be statements on homelessness in the Seanad at 5pm.
Policies relating to vaccines and their availability and uptake will be considered by the Committee on Health from 9:30am. Attendees are to include Luke O’Neill and Rónán Collins.
Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government’s proposed Bill to get rid of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport will continue at the Committee on Transport at 9:30am. TDs and Senators will hear from Friends of the Earth and An Taisce among others.
Student Accommodation is the topic for the Committee on Further and Higher Education from 12:30pm.
The chairman of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland will be engaging with the Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy at 12:30pm.
The Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport will be considering areas that fall outside the scope of arts funding. The Campaign for Comedy will be among groups attending at 12:30pm. There will be a change of topic for the same committee from 1:40pm as it looks at supports for buildings of cultural significance. The Irish Georgian Society and An Taisce are due to contribute to that debate.
Representatives from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) will be at the Committee on Enterprise at 12:30pm to be quizzed on its fuel report from last month but also to contribute to pre-legislative scrutiny of the Data Bill 2025.
Minister of State Thomas Byrne will be at the Committee on European Union Affairs to answer questions on EU presidency planning at 3:30pm.
The full Dáil, Seanad and Committee schedules can be found here.
