All is changed after a defining day for Irish politics and for our society

IT took 134 days and two months of torturous negotiations but the Republic finally has a Government after a defining day for Irish politics and history. Amid the complete societal upheaval unleashed by the COVID-19 crisis, it was easy to forget that the country had only just come through one of the most seismic General Elections in the history of the State with the established political order turned on its head when the people went to the polls in February.

The global pandemic crisis that arrived on Ireland’s shores just a few short weeks later quickly put paid to most talk of the election and, for months, the political manoeuvring in Leinster House was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Indeed, as Coronavirus cases soared; the virus’ daily death toll mounted and the country slowly came to terms with the lock-down, the destination of the Taoiseach’s office seemed like a trifling concern.

The fact that Leo Varadkar and his caretaker Government – the Health Minister Simon Harris in particular – appeared to be doing such a good job in the face of the unprecedented crisis made Government formation an even less pressing issue for many.

And so – with little of the traditional fanfare or the usual leaks and media speculation – the business of Government formation went on quietly behind the scenes as the COVID-19 crisis raged.

Finally on Friday, some two months after Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens began their talks in earnest, we had white smoke.

The deal was done and Micheál Martin had achieved his dream of taking the helm of the country.

While the outcome had seemed like a foregone conclusion for weeks, despite some opposition from members of all three parties, the true significance of the weekend’s events should not be ignored.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in Government together and after almost a century, Civil War politics in Ireland has finally come to deserved end.

As the country gradually emerges from lock-down and the people adjust to the changed world, a ‘new normal’ has emerged in the Dáil where our politics may no longer be defined by a bitter and bloody struggle almost 100 years ago.

Ireland as a country can finally move on and it feels remarkably apt that it has happened on the eve of Ireland’s Civil War commemorations.

For Sinn Féin too it is a hugely significant moment. After their stunning General Election performance, Mary Lou McDonald’s party may have been thwarted in their bid to get into Government but they are now the main voice of opposition in the Dáil.

It is the first time since 1927 that the opposition in Leinster House has not been led by either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil and, while they are not sitting at the cabinet table, it represents a massive opportunity for Sinn Féin to secure their new found position of power and influence.

What the next few years hold in store is impossible to predict. It will certainly be a tumultuous Dáil term but one thing is certain, all is changed in the corridors of power and there’s no going back.