There are many funny political stories from Ireland, but here are a few examples:
- In the 1980s, former Taoiseach (prime minister) Charles Haughey was known for his love of expensive cigars. One day, during a Dáil (parliament) debate, opposition TD (member of parliament) Des O’Malley quipped, “The Taoiseach is so fond of cigars that he’s thinking of changing the national emblem from the harp to a Havana.”
- In the early 2000s, then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was caught on microphone singing “The Fields of Athenry” while waiting to speak in the Dáil. The incident was widely reported in the media and Ahern was mocked for his impromptu singing.
- In the run-up to the 2020 General Election, a candidate in the Dublin Fingal constituency, Daniel McConnell, pledged to use his Dáil expenses to buy a pet horse for the children’s ward at Temple Street Children’s Hospital. He even went as far as to promise to name the horse “Dáil” after the Irish parliament.
- During the 2020 general election campaign, a candidate from the Solidarity-People Before Profit party, Gino Kenny, was asked on a live radio interview to name the current taoiseach. He couldn’t answer, and said he thought it was still Enda Kenny, who had left the office in 2017.
Please note, these are just some examples and not meant to make fun of the individuals or political parties.
