Fianna Fáil recovers a bit, while the gains seen by Sinn Féin last October have fallen away somewhat. The biggest winner is probably the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who sees his personal ratings bounce back and is once again the most popular party leader. But if that is some relief for Martin, the Government he leads remains unpopular, with little evidence that people think his administration is getting on top of the country’s problems. The parties in the Connolly column have a combined total of 41 per cent of declared voters; Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together have 37 per cent. A year and a bit ago, voters were not exactly in love with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil after five years in power together and nine years collaborating.

Source: The Irish Times February 05, 2026 06:32 UTC