Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been elected Taoiseach after a two-day tussle with Sinn Féin, underscoring a sense that his new coalition is weak. It depends on seats held by regional independents, and the new majority had tried to satisfy their demands that they be allowed to have speaking rights as independents even though they were part of the government.

General election. Fianna Faíl, led by Michaél Martin wins 48 seats, Sinn Féin, led by Mary Lou McDonald wins 39, and Fine Gael, led by Simon Harris, 38. Smaller parties account for about a dozen seats. Fianna Faíl and Fine Gael, though opposed on many policy issues, are expected to try to form a coalition to oppose Sinn Féin, though they are two seats short of a majority.

Taoiseach Simon Harris, of the center-right Fine Gael party, calls general election. The latest opinion polls suggest Sinn Féin will win around 19.5% of the vote, a share that would leave it lagging slightly behind both Fine Gael, which is polling at around 21%, and Fianna Fáil with about 21.5% of the vote. A wave of anti-immigration and rising housing costs are the main issues. In addition, the recent election of Donald Trump and his threat of tariffs was considered a factor, since trade with the US, especially of pharmaceutical products is very large. Martin said Trump’s imminent return to the White House imposed “an effective deadline” on Ireland’s own government formation challenge

Education minister Simon Harris is elected Fine Gael leader and will become prime minister. He is the youngest to hold the office.

In a surprise, Varadaker resigns as Taoiseach and head of Fine Gael. He will leave office when a successor is chosen by the party and confirmed by parliament. A recent confusing constitutional amendment referendum on family and women’s roles failed and Fine Gael has lost much support.

Ireland drops its objection to tax reform, agreeing to increase tax rate on large multinational companies based in Ireland. Estonia also approves the global tax rate agreement, so all 38 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have agreed to the new tax rate.

Ireland drops its objection to tax reform, agreeing to increase tax rate on large multinational companies based in Ireland. Estonia also approves the global tax rate agreement, so all 38 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have agreed to the new tax rate.

Ireland goes into strict stay-at-home order, the first EU country to take extreme measures in the second COVID-19 wave.

Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil is elected prime minister as head of the three-party coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party.

Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil is elected prime minister as head of the three-party coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party reach an agreement on a new government. Fianna Fáil leader Micbeál Martin will serve as taoiseach until 11/22, when Leo Varadakar will become taoiseach. The parties individually will have to approve the agreement, which would then go to parliament.

In final results, Fianna Fail wins 38 seats, Sinn Fein 37, and Fine Gael 35. Sinn Fein did not contest many of the seats in the lower house (the Dáil Éreann).

General elections. In subsequent returns, Sinn Fein, led by Mary MacDonald, has shown increasing power, and early returns give it the lead with 24%. The ruling Fine Gael party and Fianna Fail are both at about 22%.

After receiving some support for an addendum to the Brexit agreement, May travels to Ireland to discuss Brexit with Varadaker, who has said he would not negotiate separately from the EU. He also travels to Northern Ireland to discuss the situation with them. The Labour Party proposes that the UK form a permanent customs union with the EU that would have a say in future EU trade deals, a much closer arrangement than the government’s proposed Brexit.

Michael Higgins is reelected president of Ireland.

Brexit talks break down again over Northern Ireland border. The backstop agreement was the problem. The EU is believed to be seeking further reassurances that its internal market will be protected and that additional customs and regulatory checks will continue without a physical border. The Northern Ireland Democratic Union Party has rejected any checks on goods moving between it and Great Britain.

UK announces a compromise on the Ireland-Northern Ireland border that satisfies EU negotiators. It will allow a free border between the two and “the UK will maintain full alignment with those rules of the internal market and the customs union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 agreement" establishing peace in Northern Ireland. It is not clear how this satisfies the objections of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, but the party has accepted the language. The UK also agrees to continue payments to the EU until 2020, and EU citizens in the UK will retain all their EU rights.

Ireland avoids new elections when Frances Fitzgerald resigns as deputy prime minister.

Fianna Fail files for a no-confidence vote over Ireland Deputy Prime Minister Frances Fitzgerald’s role in the whistleblower police officer case (see 2/15/17). PM Varadker hopes to avoid the vote, which would be taken 11/26, with negotiation. The situation is complicated by upcoming negotiationson Brexit, in which the question of whether the borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland would remain open. Ireland believes that making the borders controlled as a result of the UK’s departure from the EU would remew sectarian tensions.

UK proposes maintaining open borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit, though tariffs complicate the effort.

Leo Varadkar is selected to be prime minister, the first openly gay Taoiseach.

PM Enda Kenny steps down as leader of Fine Gael, but will remain Taoiseach until a new leader is elected.

Irish PM Kenny survives no-confidence vote generated by doubts about his response to a long case of a whistleblower police officer. The case has persisted since 2006, and the officer has been persecuted for making police misconduct public knowledge.