We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
THE SO-CALLED YEAR of elections, in which nearly half of the world’s citizenry voted, is approaching its denouement. To put it mildly, the contests during these 12 months were topsy-turvy, perhaps especially in the United States. By contrast, although there were scattered surprises on the three occasions (or four, if you include Limerick’s mayoral race) when ballots were cast in Ireland, things remained comparatively calm.
I have reflected on the significant political events of 2024 in the land where I was born and on the island where I live. In the spirit of the season, I have devised awards for a handful of the protagonists – the good and the bad, the naughty and the nice – in the happenings that attracted the attention of those of us enthralled by the toughest business there is. So here goes.
Starting here, the Lazarus Award goes to Marian Harkin TD. Having garnered a mere 7.6% of first preferences and lying a distance back in the field, sceptical journalists had pretty much dismissed the veteran independent’s odds of hanging on. But the ex-MEP has always been very transfer-friendly. Indeed, they went to her from all directions until she prevailed on the 13th count. Despite their assertions of confidence, Team Harkin had to be breathing deep sighs of relief when she got over the line.
The recipient of the Newcomer Award is Albert Dolan TD. Just 26, he isn’t a rookie in that he has served on Galway County Council since 2019. Yet a radio segment unearthed a sobering fact for most of us: Dolan was in 6th class when his Fianna Fáil party was annihilated in 2011. Described by Ivan Yates as an “Obama-type figure,” he has a bright future ahead of him. And the worthy winner of the Fire in the Belly Award is Pat “the Cope” Gallagher TD. Having been in the Dáil and the European Parliament since 1981, Gallagher was thwarted in his 2020 re-election bid. Undaunted, at age 76, he sought and won a mandate from the people of his beloved Donegal. In fairness, judged by American norms, he’s only a child.
Crossing the pond, the Don’t let the Door Hit You in the Ass on the Way Out Award was made for ex-Congressman Matt Gaetz. Under investigation and a cloud of suspicion for alleged involvement in a range of nefarious activities, the ultra-conservative Floridian was Donald Trump’s bizarre first choice to be US Attorney General. This swiftly proved a bridge too far and Gaetz is leaving Capitol Hill to be a talk show host. His erstwhile colleagues are surely delighted to be rid of a disgraceful individual.
Those in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party deserve the Missed Opportunity Award. When Joe Biden at last abandoned his misguided quest for a second term in the Oval Office, they had the chance to upend an ominous situation and to organise an unprecedented competition to replace an unpopular incumbent that would have been decided on the convention floor in Chicago and dominated the news globally. This might have been a gamble, but it was an acceptable risk in the circumstances, and the truncated fight probably would have produced a superior nominee to Kamala Harris.
The Do as I Say, not as I Do Award was well and truly earned by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. The hard-right firebrand has never shied from defending traditional values and opined that she was “tired of this separation of church and state junk.” In 2024, she switched to another district in Colorado favourable to the GOP and comfortably beat her opponent.
In 2023, however, the champion of Christian morality was evicted from a musical in a Denver theatre together with her male companion when – as the Guardian delicately put it – witnesses saw him “fondling her breasts” and Boebert “petting her guest’s crotch.” Unrepentant, she flashed the middle finger to security guards as the affectionate couple were escorted to the door.
In the spirit of the close, albeit soon to be tested, relationship between Ireland and the US, the final two honours will be bestowed on creditable winners from each nation. The It’s Better Than It Looks Award is to be shared by the 215 incoming Democratic members of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress and the 39 Sinn Féin TDs who were elected.
There was a brilliant result for Donald Trump and the Republicans on 5 November. That said, swimming against the tide, Democratic candidates for the lower house did fine. Trump has a tenuous five seat majority to work with. Some careful caressing of egos – the threats of primary challengers to “RINOs” which he reflexively resorts to are not guaranteed to do the trick – will be required to ensure everyone stays on board with his disruptive agenda, provided the 215 are united.
Since 29 November, commentators have argued that Sinn Féin, which benefitted tremendously from a rather freakish swing in the 2020 General Election and was topping the polls in 2022 and 2023, was the big loser. Drilling into the numbers reveals that there is no cause for celebration. But an unduly negative characterisation is wide of the mark and neglects certain realities.
Immigration emerged as a hot-button issue and this has adversely impacted Sinn Féin due to the socio-economic status and ideological leanings of its base; the leadership committed a few strategic errors stemming from the rapid growth they enjoyed; the formidable Mary Lou McDonald was off the pitch for health and family reasons for a time; troubling scandals surfaced that raised profound doubts as to the genuine nature of the former political wing of the IRA; and Sinn Féin dropped to an absolutely abysmal 11% in June’s locals/Euros. In this milieu and in a campaign that some pundits had initially ventured was an exercise in damage limitation, getting 39 TDs into the Dáil, one more than Fine Gael, is not a “bad” outcome. Taking the long view, while Sinn Féin’s trajectory may be stalled, it is still upward.
The Award for Politician of 2024 goes to two men: Donald Trump, set to be America’s 47th president, and Micheál Martin TD, preparing to be Ireland’s next Taoiseach.
The latter has been the quintessential steady hand for Fianna Fáil since the aforementioned nadir of 2011 and, with periodic hiccups and with intermittent vocal criticism from within the ranks, he has proven himself to be up to the difficult task. Months ago, the buzz revolved around Simon Harris’s “new energy” as he travelled the country relentlessly. Ultimately, Martin’s experience and cautious manner outshone Harris’s youth and vigour. The proof is in the pudding. Fianna Fáil has 48 seats, 10 more than Fine Gael, and Martin has a valid claim to a lengthier stint as Taoiseach.
President-elect Donald Trump is the comeback kid. On the 7th of January in 2021, it was a safer bet that he would be behind bars in January 2025 than that he would be readying to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. No matter one’s feelings with respect to Trump and without belabouring the point, the fundamental truth is that he has achieved what almost no one thought was possible and that he has done so in dramatic, convincing fashion. What his comprehensive triumph says about the US and what it could mean for the rest of the planet will continue to be subjects of incessant conjecture and sources of prevalent pessimism. For the moment, what Time magazine proffers in defence of its controversial selection of him as the person of 2024 bears repeating: “Trump is once again at the centre of the world, and in as strong a position as he has ever been.”
I hope all readers have a wonderful, blessed and enjoyable Christmas.
Larry Donnelly is a Boston lawyer, a Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and a political columnist with TheJournal.ie.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Interesting analysis.
I can acknowledge Michael Martin’s success in the election, but his glow in victory may soon dim if, as seems likely, he turns into a Kier Starmer replica, and just as unpopular.
Perhaps he will prove me wrong and bring forward policies that will have the support of the citizens, but I won’t be holding my breath.
@Garry Coll: The deaths surrounding Hamas facilities are horrible and avoidable if enough pressure can be applied to Hamas commanders to surrender. War is an experience outside the sphere of safe Irish politicians and public. Hamas is an experienced terror army that uses terror warfare strategies incomprehensible to Irish. While most male Hamas fighters are active elsewhere they pack their military offices with expendable sacrificial(martyr) women and female children as human shields. This tactic to protect the Hamas commanders is clearly working on the gullible safe western political mouths.
@thomas molloy:
It would appear that the IDF and Hamas have both potentially breached multiple articles of the Geneva convention, with Hamas triggering the chain of events and the IDF responding.
However, the Irish government, instead of attempting to be an honest broker, has gone in totally against Israel and at the same time, gone out of its way to establish relations with the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza.
@Thomas Sheridan: establishing relations with the hamas regieme but won’t talk with Sinn Fein here even though they represent 40% of the electorate in this country, and no party in Ireland is without its baggage. Spokes men for ff say they respect the electorate choices but only it seems the ones they want. The biggest Losers in this electoral year are the Irish public and time will show that, sadly we deserve everything that’s coming remember what happened (or didn’t according to some) the last time ff were the main party in power. Strap in and wait for the rectal exam that’s coming
@Garry Coll: Topline bottom line Michael Martin has proved he’s a decent man and the electorate decided to trust him and his light has never been brighter. The challenge now is to Deliver.
@Tim Brennan: The challenge to deliver will never happen. Stop with your deluded nonsense tim.
@thomas molloy: Do yourself a little favour and try and get hold of a documentary called “The BiBi Files” and also another one titled “No Other Land” perhaps then you may be a little more educated on some of the history of the region and what has led to the current situation there.
@thomas molloy:
I can hold Michael Martin responsible for many things, he was, after all, a senior minister in two separate Fianna Fail led administrations that bankrupted the country, but linking him to the depravity of Hamas and other Middle East terrorists is a bit of a stretch.
Larry gets a lot of airtime
Comments are close on a quiz about chocolate????
@Jackie Moore: Yes, I copped that too! The Journal are a bit confused of late.
Simple.
The winner was Trump .
The losers were the democratic party. Not just because Biden lost, but because of all the lies and gaslighting. And now it l came home to roost.
They’ll be losers in 4 years as well. Nobody else to blame but themselves.
@Shane Kinsella (Kinsey): If you keep spouting this at every opportunity…..it still won’t be remotely credible. Your guy in his interview with Kristen Welker last week started to claim that no one used the word ‘groceries’ until he did. Well, he started down that line and then either realised how ludicrous he sounded, or maybe just wasn’t able to maintain that train of thought. Yes, I’ve never heard shopping for food described as grocery shopping before.
@Numinous20111: Yes because Joe Biden hasn’t said some dumb things before. “America is a nation that can be described by a single word, asafutasfasfah… in the Himalayas with Xi Xing Ping.” Like what does that even mean? Kamala Harris: “So Ukraine is a country in Europe, it exists next to another country in Europe called Russia. Russia is a big country, Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So basically this is wrong.” I mean when you have to dumb it down for your voters that much, it explains it all.
@Shane Kinsella (Kinsey): Trump was the winner but we’ll have to wait and see if the choice was right
President Elon and VP Trump. There are videos of Hitler when he took Paris which look horrifyingly like Elon bouncing around on stage with Trump. I think Elon might be the most dangerous man in history. Absolutely a genius but such an insecure p#$$y.
@Louis Jacob: at least he’ll put and end to sickos preaching to kinda garden kids
@Louis Jacob: what a dumb comment
@Louis Jacob: Musk isn’t a genius. He’s utterly messed up repeatedly in public discussing aspects of his businesses. He’s like Trump. He wants people to think he’s exceptional. What Musk excelled at is buying into and then taking over other companies. It’s extremely worrying that Musk is able to fool people, because it means a lack of basic attention to his words and actions in public.
@Numinous20111: and even worse that he is now endorsing Germanys AFD, the nearest thing that country has to Nazis (some members are actually neo Nazis). Musk must surely know this, so his endorsement tells us all we need to know about him. What is really worrying is that people can’t spot a Nazi when he wears jeans and a t shirt.
@Numinous20111: lighten up and just put your seatbelt on. What a time to be alive !
@Alan: as was, as is, as ever shall be ; world without end
@Paul Mooney: Yeah totally. I felt so dumb when I made it.
@Numinous20111: Yes man. I take all your points. He is exceptional though in fairness. So is Trump by the way. I don’t know dude. It’s so depressing that this is where it’s at.
@Louis Jacob: Most dangerous man in history? How far are you lefties actually gone? Is he more dangerous than Stalin, Zedong, Ghengis Khan, Pol Pot? You are beyond help. There is no point, you’re hopeless.
@Louis Jacob: man,dude. You said both.
Looking forward to 4 years of Trump in charge. Let’s hope we see the real Trump this time, no holding back.
@common sense: He’ll do as he’s told. They all do. America is Israel’s Bîţch.
@Anthony Curran: clown
President of Peace Trump and the world won with his reelection
If only we had a leader with a pair of balls, like Trump, here in Paddystan
@Paul Mooney: His are orange and shrivelled like dehydrated grapes. They’re also in the hands of Putin and now Musk it seems.
@Jack Hayes: when they’re not resting on yer ma’s chin
@Paul Mooney: Trump does not have balls he has money
@Tim Brennan: like your beloved shower of FF crooks
@Paul Mooney: Exactly. A great leader. Then we have Harris and the rest of the incompetents in the DAWL.
Between Larry and Christina on the Journal they have a love affair with Mary Lou and continually fail to call out her allegiance to Gerry and they haven’t gone away you know and the Belfast Mafia
She went to the funeral during covid. Monster.
@Tim Brennan: But the ff mafia deludeding, ” Tim nice but dim ” says everything about you.
@Tim Brennan: another 5 years in opposition. She’s getting the p45
@Paul Gorry: deludeding. Says everything about you.
@Philip Kennedy: The new troll on journal. Fluck off, not interested in anything, ye have to say.
@Paul Gorry: 5 more years. Ha ha. Shinner apologist.
@Philip Kennedy: deludeding… classic
Larry you’re behaving like a toilet working in reverse.
Larry Donnelly, whoever he is, is trying valiantly to make the Democrats look like winners, but they’re definitely the biggest non winners ( the sensors don’t like the other word) by far.
@Ulick: sensors?
The Sinn Fein apologist is at again
Trump, bigley
At 86 I just shake my head and remember what my father said ” what is the world comming to” in WW1 listening to Dev on the radio.
That’s an easy one, in the US a no brainer, in Ireland the greens thank God.
For losers I’m going to nominate taxpayers. This election was a battle between two candidates who were more than happy to blow a hole in the deficit, they just disagreed on how big the hole should be. Both Trump and Harris wanted big spending on welfare programs and on subsides in the housing sector which will only drive up prices. Trump wanted to artificially control the market by capping credit card costs with price controls, Harris wanted to artificially control the market by capping supermarket costs with price controls. Both candidates were too cowardly to suggest privatising Social Security and Medicare or even to suggest raising the retirement age and cutting some benefits. These programs cost 2.4 trillion dollars a year and are simply unsustainable to keep maintaining.
@Frank O’Hara: yet they have no problem with their military budget
@Frank O’Hara: couldn’t sleep tonight. Your post did the trick.
Winners? There were no winners. All Irish political life is filled with losers.
How very true.
Lar you think your money is safe I the good ole US of the place that our po comes out off us, go home and stay thier this is my land and I want nothing to do to want yours just about done ,there is a war happening go home lad
@Robert Halvey: whaaaaa?
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say