The Irish general election of 2024: A battle lost before it was fought?

Abstract The 2024 Irish general election had shaped to be the most consequential in the history of the Irish state. Much was at stake, as the previous general election had witnessed the left-wing, anti-partitionist Sinn Féin party take a plurality of first-preference votes and left-wing parties securing a historically unprecedented number of Dáil (parliamentary) seats. The subsequent years witnessed Sinn Féin soar in popularity, followed by an equally dramatic fall. As a direct result, the election turned out to be significantly less consequential than had been anticipated. This paper reviews the Irish general election of 2024 and considers the potential longer-term consequences of this period for Irish politics, both North and South of the border.