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Today we get a new Taoiseach - here's a rundown of how the day is going to go

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin will become the next Taoiseach of Ireland.

THIS AFTERNOON, Micheál Martin will become the next Taoiseach of Ireland. 

The Fianna Fáil leader has been Tánaiste since December 2022 and previously to that, he served as Taoiseach for two years.

A new Cabinet will also be formed today, with speculation rife about who might be getting moved up the political ladder. 

It will be a busy day in Leinster House, but The Journal will be bringing you all the latest as it happens throughout the day. 

Here’s how things will go: 

The day will officially kick off at 11am in Leinster House, with the business of the day the first thing on the agenda.

Expect some fireworks from the get-go, with members of the Opposition due to raise serious concerns about some members of the Regional Independent group getting Oppositing speaking time, despite them being in the room for government formation talks.

Sinn Féin will nominate Mary Lou McDonald, but she won’t have the numbers. 

Fianna Fáil will nominate Martin as the next Taoiseach, and TDs will then cast their vote on whether or not they want to see him become Taoiseach.

Fianna Fáil won the most seats in the Dáil following the general election, winning 48 seats while Sinn Féin – the main opposition party in the last Dáil – won 39.

Fine Gael was third with 38 seats, so with the addition of support from the Independents, Martin will have a majority in the House to get him over the line and into the top job.

After the Dáil voting process is complete, probably around 1.30pm, Martin will make his way to Áras an Uachtaráin where he will be formally appointed Taoiseach by President Micheal D. Higgins. 

After this, Martin will then return to Government Buildings, and begin summoning his new Cabinet members to his office to tell them what ministry they will be getting. 

The Dáil begins again at 5.30pm, where it is expected that the new Cabinet members will be voted for and approved by the Dáil. A debate on their appointment will follow.

The new ministers will then travel to the State Reception Room in Áras an Uachtaráin where the president will then present each minister with their Seal of Office.

Who’s expected to be in the Cabinet? 

The incoming Tánaiste is expected to take on a beefed-up foreign affairs brief, with a focus on trade and diplomatic relations as the political world faces a difficult few years.

Fianna Fáil are minded to hold on to the Housing department brief, with speculation that Darragh O’Brien will stay on as minister.

Education Minister Norma Foley is also tipped to stay at the Cabinet table, though there is uncertainty as to whether she will stay in her current position with talk that she could be the new Social Protection and Rural Affairs Minister or possibly take on the Higher Education brief.

Names in the mix and being talked about for promotion are Fianna Fáil’s James Browne, Mary Butler, James Lawless, Niall Collins and Dara Calleary and Thomas Byrne, with some mentioning Catherine Ardagh as a possible newcomer. In terms of Fine Gael options, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Martin Heydon, Hildegarde Naughton and Alan Dillon are also being mentioned. 

One ministry that is under the spotlight is Agriculture, with some within both parties stating that Heydon might be elevated to the role, however, some state the moving of Fianna Fáil’s Charlie McConalogue would be deemed unfair. 

It is believed that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will exchange a number of Cabinet departments, such as the Justice brief and possibly the Health portfolio.

Dublin Bay South TD Jim O’Callaghan has been mentioned as a possible Justice Minister, but there are mixed views around Leinster House as to whether he could get the nod as the next Attorney General. Most are saying that it would be an unusual move by the party leader, but it would result in the party having another Cabinet position. 

The current Justice Minister, Fine Gael’s Helen McEntee, is speculated to be the next Enterprise Minister, though there’s some mutterings she might move to Education.

Meanwhile, Carroll MacNeill is being tipped for Health, although some within her party state that it is not a portfolio she would be pushing for. 

As reported by The Journal previously, the current Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will be split, with Integration set to move to the Department of Justice. 

During the government formation talks, there were split views among the negotiating teams on whether to put the energy brief into Department of Enterprise, but it’s believed it might not be tacked on now.

Disability and Children will form one department, but it remains to be seen who what party might take on the department, which will cover an area which was one of the central debates in the general election.

In terms of the Department of Finance, it is expected that Paschal Donohoe will take back his old job, with Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers heading up the beefed up Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery.

A separate Department of infrastructure, which Simon Harris wanted to establish, is not on the cards. 

Donohoe and Chambers’ roles are expected to rotate alongside the Taoiseach rotation, with the draft programme for government stating that Micheál Martin will leave the Taoiseach’s job on 16 November 2027.

You can keep up with all the latest as it happens by following our liveblog throughout the day. 

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