IRELAND “NEEDS TO avoid” the political turmoil occurring in the UK – which is “potentially on the cusp” of a seventh prime minister in a decade, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said today.

Martin appeared on both RTÉ’s political programme The Week in Politics and the broadcaster’s radio show This Week following his party’s Ard Fheis.

Addressing questions about how long he would remain as Taoiseach and leader of the party as senior members of the party start to indicate interest in the job (his further education minister James Lawless quotes Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in an interview in the Mail on Sunday today), Martin said instability leads to a “lack of focus and lack of delivery in government”.

Martin delivered the keynote address at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin on Saturday evening.

He is now the longest serving leader of the party since Éamon de Valera and will be 69 by the time of the next general election.

Today he said: “I am 16 months as Taoiseach. The Government was only formed 16 months ago.

“I think there is an issue here in terms of how we do politics and how we do government.

“We were elected in as a government 16 months ago, we have an obligation and a function to focus on the issues, it is not all about politics, who is up, who is down, who is moving and all of that, people get fed up of that and get annoyed with that, if they think politicians are inward looking and just thinking about themselves and positioning.

“What the people want actually are politicians that are focused on the issues that matter to their sons and daughters and that matter to them, that is the issue for us as a party.

“I will always do right by the party, of that be under no illusion.

“It is about fulfilling the mandate I received in the last general election.”

The Taoiseach added: “We need to avoid what has happened in the United Kingdom where we are now potentially on the cusp of a seventh prime minister in as many years which creates instability, lack of focus and lack of delivery in government.

“We are in government and we have to deliver in government.”

Famine commemoration

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Before his appearances at RTÉ’s Montrose campus, the Taoiseach was in Portumna in Co Galway for the 19th National Famine Commemoration. The event took place in the Irish Workhouse Centre.

There, Martin said lessons of “compassion, solidarity and humanity” learnt from the Irish Famine will “continue to resonate” with future generations.

The event remembers all those who suffered, died, or were forced to emigrate in the famine from 1845 to 1852.

It was hosted by the minister for culture and chairman of the National Famine Commemoration Committee Patrick O’Donovan.

Martin officiated at the event and delivered the keynote address.

It was the first time the commemoration had taken place in Galway.

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The event included military honours and cultural and community elements before concluding with a wreath-laying ceremony by the Taoiseach, O’Donovan and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corp.

Martin said: “The National Famine Commemoration provides an important opportunity to reflect on one of the most profound and defining periods in our history.

“While the famine represents immense loss and suffering, it also reminds us of the resilience of ordinary people and the enduring strength of community in times of hardship.

“The Irish Workhouse Centre stands as an important place of remembrance and education, ensuring that the experiences of those who lived through the famine are honoured with dignity and that the lessons of compassion, solidarity and humanity continue to resonate with future generations.”

O’Donovan said: “It is an honour to host the 2026 National Famine Commemoration in the Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna, to remember all those who suffered due to the Great Irish Famine.

“In this county where the famine destroyed communities, they did not remain broken, they were rebuilt, strong, vibrant and diverse in all their forms.

“This is surely one of the most fitting and important tributes to our ancestors.”

Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council David Collins said: “The story of An Gorta Mór is deeply interwoven with the history and identity of the county of Galway, shaping communities across the county and its wider diaspora, including places such as Portumna, where loss, survival and emigration from that period can still be felt today.”

Additional reporting by Emma Hickey