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LAST YEAR SAW the chaotic formation of the 35th government of Ireland, a presidential election and a Cabinet reshuffle after the departure of former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.
But as we look ahead to 2026, what notable Irish news stories lie in wait?
While the unpredictable is sure to happen, there are also some big events that will dominate the headlines that we are already aware of.
There are no general elections to look forward to this year (unless something brings down the coalition ahead of schedule) but Ireland will be taking over the presidency of Council of the EU.
The presidency rotates among the EU member states every six months and Ireland will hold it from July.
However, numerous concerns have been raised among Irish and European military and security leaders about Ireland’s ability to adequately resource security operations during the EU Presidency.
Just last month, four unidentified military-style drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane near Dublin Airport as he arrived in Ireland.
By far the biggest official event during this period when Ireland holds the presidency will be the European Political Community summit, which will see all leaders of the EU member states attending.
In the past, major international figures have also attended the summit – upwards of 50 leaders could attend.
Zelenskyy attended this year’s event in Denmark, where leaders discussed how to strengthen Ukraine, the general security situation in Europe and how to make Europe stronger and more secure
US President George W Bush attended a similar summit held during Ireland’s presidency in 2004.
There’s been some suggestions the high-profile event could take place outside of Dublin, with indications that Munster could play host to the summit.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly meanwhile warned that garda members will be “stretched” during the period that Ireland holds the EU presidency.
Hosting events like the European Political Community summit doesn’t come cheap and the Office of Public Works (OPW) is set to spend an estimated €10m on the provision of event catering and hospitality services for State dinners, high-level lunches and other State events at Dublin Castle, Áras an Uachtaráin and other venues.
The contract is for a two-year period and the tender states that the term of the Framework Agreement will include the period of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU.
The tender states that from 1 July to December, an extensive programme of between 130 and 160 meetings, events and conferences will be organised by Government Departments and official bodies in Dublin Castle and across OPW State venues as part of Ireland’s EU presidency.
The scope of the required services will range from high-level government meetings, high-level lunches, dinners, receptions, conference dining and State dinners.
The tender also states that few events are anticipated in the period to 1 July 2026 but that an extensive programme of meetings, events and conferences will be organised by government departments and official bodies during the six-month Ireland EU presidency.
While there are no general elections on the horizon, there will be two keenly watched by-elections.
When Paschal Donohoe gave up his Dáil seat in November to take up a position with the World Bank in the US, a by-election was triggered in perhaps the most interesting constituency in the country.
The election must be held within six months of a Dáil vacancy arising, so the Dublin Central by-election will likely be held in April or May.
The question everyone is waiting to have answered is whether Gerry Hutch will be appearing on his scooter again to lodge his election papers.
At this stage, it is pure speculation whether Hutch will run again or not, but posts from his official Instagram account in recent weeks hinted that he will.
And around the same time as voters go to the polls in Dublin Central, a by-election will also be held in Galway West to fill Catherine Connolly’s seat after she won the Irish presidency.
In an ideal world, Ireland will be looking forward to competing in the upcoming World Cup.
The World Cup will be held from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada and Mexico, with 11 of the 16 host cities based in the US.
Should Ireland qualify, the Boys in Green would face two games in Mexico and one in Atlanta in the US.
However, a potential fixture in Atlanta could cause some headaches for travelling Irish fans, with proposals from the Trump administration that foreign tourists could be asked to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry.
In order to qualify, Ireland would have to defeat Czechia in an away game on 26 March.
Should they win that game, Ireland would then face a play-off final five days later against either Denmark or North Macedonia.
Ireland will have home advantage for that final if they beat Czechia.
Elsewhere, there will be a notable gap in the Irish calendar come May when Eurovision 2026 takes place.
Next year’s Eurovision Song Contest is due to take place in Vienna, Austria, from 12 May to 16 May.
However, RTÉ will not participate in or broadcast the 2026 competition.
Neither will Iceland, Spain, the Netherlands or Slovenia due to Israel being allowed to remain in the competition.
Ireland shares the joint record total of seven Eurovision wins with Sweden but will sit out this year’s event.
Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said he respects RTÉ’s decision to boycott next year’s contest and added that he hopes Ireland will “soon” return.
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