The Irish Times view on the latest opinion poll: Coalition not inspiring the electorate
It appears that voters who are disillusioned with the Government are moving towards Independents rather than Sinn Féin or the other more established left wing parties, while the number of undecided voters now stands at a significant 25 per cent.
The huge number of undecided voters and the rise in support for Independents indicates that a substantial segment of the electorate does not have great faith in either Government or Opposition.
There is some consolation for the Government in the fact that the Opposition parties are actually losing support, but the poll also indicates that the Coalition has inspired no great enthusiasm among the electorate since taking office just over six months ago. In the longer term that could spell trouble, particularly if the Government has to adopt serious budgetary measures in response to a trans-Atlantic trade war.
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When it comes to satisfaction with the party leaders, Micheál Martin has widened his lead over Simon Harris and Mary Lou McDonald while satisfaction with the Government has remained the same since April.
In party terms Fianna Fáil has seen no change in support since April, retaining 22 per cent of the vote. Sinn Féin has exactly the same vote share but this represents a drop of four points since the last poll while Fine Gael has gained one point from a very low base to 17 per cent.
The Fine Gael vote in Dublin is holding up reasonably well and it is the biggest party in the capital, marginally ahead of Sinn Féin and well ahead of its Coalition partner. However, the party appears to have a serious problem in Munster where it continues to struggle. For Fianna Fáil the story is the reverse. The party's vote is holding up well everywhere, apart from Dublin where it continues to languish in third place.
Sinn Féin will be disappointed not to have built on the significant increase it achieved in the last poll. Instead its support has slipped back close to what it achieved in last year's election. It indicates the challenge facing the party if it runs a candidate in the forthcoming presidential election.
It all indicates a fractured political landscape and uncertainty among many voters about which party should get their support. A vital period now lies ahead, with the tariff situation on a knife-edge and the budget coming into view. The decisions made in the coming months could yet be defining for this Dáil term.
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Irish Times
25 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Inheritance, relatives and blended families: what does it mean for tax-free thresholds?
Could you clarify a passing comment that you made in your article last week. You used the phrase 'by blood'. Are you drawing a distinction with uncle or aunt by marriage versus an uncle or aunt 'by blood'? In other words, are you saying that a child can inherit under Class B from their parent's sibling, but not the spouse of that sibling? Are you sure that is correct as I do not see any such distinction in Revenue guidance ? It also raises the question of who is 'the parent' in the case of a divorce and remarriage. Does the birth parent for Class A purposes cease to be a parent on remarriage or can the step-parent become one? Mr DL READ MORE I always wonder when I write 'by blood' whether it is clearly understood. As with many recurring items, I have set out clearly what that means at one point or another but often revert to the shorthand. And yes, it can be counterintuitive if, like me, you grew up in a family where aunts were regarded as aunts regardless of whether they were my parents' siblings or had married into the family – and similarly for uncles. But Revenue does make a distinction when it comes to inheritance. The three inheritance tax thresholds are very specifically delineated according to blood relationship between the person making the gift or leaving the inheritance in their will and the person receiving it. Category A, which offers the highest tax-free threshold – currently €400,000 – is generally referred to as covering gifts and inheritances from a parent to a child, but it is slightly wider than that. [ Inheritance tax: How to avoid leaving your loved ones with a hefty bill Opens in new window ] For instance, if it is the child that dies – as an adult or otherwise – and the parent who inherits from them, the parent will also benefit from the Category A threshold as long as they are inheriting outright – rather than, say, getting a life interest in a property. The threshold will also apply to a child – anyone under the age of 18 – where they are inheriting from their grandparent when their parent is dead. We'll come back to that Category A in a minute in relation to the second part of your query. Category B covers close blood relatives other than parents – or other scenarios covered by Category A. It is sometimes described as lineal relations – i.e. those in a direct line of descent or ancestry. Most commonly, that is seen as covering gifts and inheritance from a brother or sister, a grandparent and an uncle or aunt. And yes, it is only aunts or uncles related by blood – i.e. siblings of one or other parent. You're certainly right to query it. I used to think it covered everyone with that title but I did check with the Revenue commissioners and they did confirm that there had to be a blood relationship with the aunt or uncle for them to be covered under Category B. Category B will also cover life interest inheritance from a child to a parent or any inheritance from a child to an aunt, uncle or grandparent in the unfortunate circumstance of the child predeceasing the older relative. [ Will inheritance tax be cut again in the budget? Opens in new window ] Many people worry about what other people will pay in tax on an unexpected windfall (inheritance) after they are gone. Photograph: Getty Images There is a growing clamour – particularly from people who do not have children – for reform of this Category B. As it stands, the tax-free threshold under Category B is €40,000, just 10 per cent of the Category A threshold. An awful lot of people worry about what other people will pay in tax on an unexpected windfall (inheritance) after they are gone. Personally, I always find that odd but that's not to say it is not a thing. There is pressure either to raise this significantly or to find some other device to allow people without children nominate one or two beneficiaries who can avail of a higher threshold. It is something that has been examined in the Tax Strategy Papers published recently by the Department of Finance . These papers examine issues that might be addressed in the budget later this year or a budget further down the line. As is their wont, this review merely sets out options and, to the degree possible, their likely cost or benefit to the exchequer. Whether one approach should be favoured over another or whether any policy change should be pursued remains a political matter for decision by the Government . Finally, we have Category C which covers all other people benefiting from a gift or inheritance – sometimes called 'strangers in blood' where the current tax-free threshold is €20,000. [ I am due to inherit €30,000, is it worth my while to gift my husband half to avoid tax? Opens in new window ] The three inheritance tax thresholds are delineated according to blood relationship between the person leaving the inheritance in their will and the person receiving it. Photograph: Getty Images And you can see here why Revenue specifies that aunts and uncles in Category B must be blood relations, not relations by marriage. Apart from friends, neighbours, carers, gardeners etc, Category C also includes cousins who are, by definition, blood relatives of some sort and also in-laws, whom in many cases can be closer to the disponer (the person making the gift or inheritance) than even a niece or nephew by blood. But so it is. As regular readers will know, the other key thing to note is that these are lifetime limits on all gifts and inheritances dating back under each category to December 5th, 1991. So, under Category B, you need to tot up all large gifts and inheritances you have received from any grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle to see if your latest windfall is tax-free or otherwise. And when we say gifts, we mean gifts valued at more than €3,000, as anything below that in any year is covered by the small gift exemption and is also tax free. Finally, once to hit 80 per cent of the relevant threshold – benefits of €320,000, €32,000 and €16,000 for each category respectively, you need to file an inheritance tax return to Revenue even though no tax is owing until you exceed the full threshold. Getting back to your second query – the position with blended families after divorce, remarriage and separation – you're quite correct to say that this is increasingly relevant in our modern society. We need to return to the question of the Category A threshold. When it states that a child can receive up to €400,000 tax-free from parents, the definition of child also refers to stepchildren and to adopted children. In fact, it even applies to foster children as long as those foster children spent at least five years with the family before the age of 18 at the family's expense. So does that mean that a child who is adopted or whose parents have divorced and remarried can receive category A benefits from more than two parents? Yes, it does. A stepchild qualifies for Category A on inheritance or gift from their birth parents and from any step-parent. The same is true for a child formally adopted. But birth parents are not removed from the Category A equation. A child can still avail of Category A in relation to a birth parent, even after divorce and remarriage, or where the child has been adopted elsewhere, as can a child who has been fostered under the criteria mentioned above. The one difference between the three categories of child is that if an adopted child's birth parent dies without making a will, they are not entitled to anything under intestacy where a stepchild and a fostered child would be. Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2, or by email to , with a contact phone number. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Former Mater Private CEO Fergus Clancy leaves €15.8 million estate
The former chief executive of the Mater Private Network of hospitals and clinics Fergus Clancy left an estate valued at €15.8 million, according to documents published by the Probate Office this week. Mr Clancy, of Lagore Road, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath , died aged in his late 50s at the Mater hospital in April 2024. The married father of two began his professional life in the post room of insurance company Church & General before gaining experience handling medical malpractice cases. He went on to establish his own consultancy, Circa Healthcare Consulting. He also proposed a centralised State insurance scheme for doctors that was then adopted by former minister for health Brian Cowen . Following the sale of his consultancy to Aon, Mr Clancy became chief executive of the Mater Private Network in 2005, later taking the role of executive chairman. The Fergus Clancy Bursary for Healthcare Leadership and Entrepreneurship is awarded by the Future Health Summit to fully fund a person's masters in healthcare leadership. The summit says the bursary is in honour of 'our friend and colleague Fergus Clancy who showed such ambition, passion, determination and leadership in Irish healthcare over his long and distinguished career'. Meanwhile, Mervyn Howard Heatley, of Ballyman Road, Bray , Co Wicklow , a farmer who was noted for his collection of steam traction engines and vintage tractors, left an estate valued at €12.17 million, when he died in October last year. Farmer and classic car enthusiast Mervyn Howard Heatley left more than €12 million in his will. Photograph: Mr Heatley, known as Howard, was a supporter of the Enniskerry Festival's Victorian Field Day, which was held on his farm on a number of occasions. His son, also called Mervyn, runs a vintage car dealership called Classic Prestige Cars, which is based at Ballyman Road, Bray. The will of Mary Keegan, Dogstown, Trim , Co Meath, outlined an estate valued at €5.2 million when she died in February 2024. Ms Keegan was the widow of quarrying company executive Dessie Keegan. Jonathan Griffin, who also went by John, with an address at Bray Road, Foxrock , died in October 2023, leaving a €3.6 million estate. He was remembered for his attendance at the United Arts Club and time spent living in Chicago. After his death in November 2024, Cornelius Michael O'Riordan, of Meanus, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, left an estate of just more than €3 million. Monica Sheridan Dauer, of Mount Dutton House, Oldcastle, Co Meath, left an estate valued at €2.9 million when she died in August 2024. Eilis (Alice) Tansey, of Avoca Avenue, Blackrock , Co Dublin, who died on March 8th, 2024, left €2.9 million. Edward (Ned) Grace of Seapoint Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, a retired Smurfit executive, left an estate worth €2.4 million when he died in December 2024. Lucy Mary Teresa Gannon and Kathleen Gannon, of a shared address on Serpentine Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin, each left €1.4 million upon their deaths in December 2020 and November 2022 respectively. Seán Gallagher, of Stillorgan Grove, Blackrock previously of CTT and Enterprise Ireland , left an estate of €1.2 million upon his death in January 2023. The estate figures represent the total value of all assets at the time of a person's death. They typically include the value of a family home or farm and investments.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
There's more to Irish history than eight centuries of British oppression and failed uprisings
A man from Meath conquered more land in India – more quickly – than Napoleon conquered in all of Europe. Yet Richard Wellesley is almost forgotten. An Irish woman, Teresa Ball, helped – from her home in Rathfarnham – to educate thousands of Catholic girls in countries from Canada to India. And a Catholic from Tipperary witnessed a famine eviction as a child, fought the Fenians in Canada as a British officer, but openly advocated for Irish Home Rule. William Butler wrote best-sellers, effectively invented Canada's 'Mounties' and almost prevented the Boer War. Yet most of us have never heard of him. Too often, Irish history can feel like 'eight centuries of British oppression, punctuated by the odd, failed uprising'. But behind that are far more surprising, interesting characters who reveal Ireland's complex status in a world shaped by European empires. The implications for our sense of national identity have real-world significance. Ireland had a ringside seat for the UK's Brexit vote, which boiled down to a simplistic, binary question: 'Do you feel European or not?' A similar question dominated Scotland's independence referendum: 'Do you feel Scottish or British?' Such questions force everyone into one of two opposing camps. Even if your side wins, huge numbers of your compatriots feel alienated, turning electoral politics into a confrontational, zero-sum arena. Instead of focusing on fixing hospitals, the British Tories, and Scottish SNP lost their way in repeatedly relitigating these purity tests, until voters soured on both. READ MORE Our debates about a United Ireland tend to focus on logistical questions. What flag would we use? What national anthem? How much would it cost? (Anywhere from €3 billion to €20 billion, depending on which economic analysis you read.) But if we want to avoid the chaos of Brexit Britain, we need to confront the identity question. What makes us feel Irish? What is our national story, in the context of our long, troubled relationship with our neighbouring island? That was the division that split North from South a century ago. Whether we're moving towards a united Ireland or a shared island, these awkward corners of our history help us move past the old binary, reinforced by the Troubles, of 'Catholic-Irish-nationalist' and 'Protestant-British-unionist'. Many of the people we meet in Irish Imperial Lives, an RTÉ Radio 1 series and podcast I made with Kate O'Malley, shatter that dichotomy. Richard Wellesley was a Protestant, but both his wives were Catholic. His lifelong support for Catholic emancipation was so deep that it cost him the chance to be British prime minister in 1812. Ball, who founded the Loreto order, helped establish Catholic girls' schools across the empire, was embraced by Queen Victoria but frequently blocked by Catholic bishops. Butler served the empire with such distinction, from Canada to Africa, that he was knighted, and became Queen Victoria's aide-de-camp. Yet he was also friends with Parnell, and advocated Irish Home Rule. [ For a united Ireland to work messy compromises will be needed, but we can't gift Irish identity to the far-right Opens in new window ] Irish people fought against the British Empire from the New World, while others helped expand the British Empire but used their position to advocate for Ireland. One way to think about the latter group is to consider the Stripe founders, Patrick and John Collison from Limerick. You may not like the fact that 19th-century London – like Silicon Valley today – made decisions which shaped the wider world in profound ways. But you can still admire Irish people who, through their talent, tenacity and timing, achieved extraordinary things, without forgetting where they came from. What about the Irish Presbyterian Lambert Blair, who traded everything from women's shoes to enslaved human beings in the Dutch-controlled Caribbean? Or the Irish Catholic mercenary Peter Lacy, who led the imperial Russian army that captured Crimea in the 1730s – with disturbing resonances today? Whether we like it or not, all of these people are a part of Irish history. When we accept that, it becomes a lot harder to exclude unionists or Protestants or, frankly, anyone from our island's history. The world built by Europe's empires is still with us. Why do so many of Ireland's young people still choose to emigrate to Australia? We're EU citizens. We can take our pick of any climate that suits us, from Spain to Sweden. We can live and work, visa-free, in many of the world's happiest, most beautiful, and liveable cities – all a short plane ride from home. And yet, consistently, our young people move halfway around the world. And if it's not Australia, it's often Canada, the US or UK. Why? Because they speak English, and they've been welcoming Irish people for centuries ... both things directly linked to the British Empire. For argument's sake, imagine if the Battle of Kinsale had gone the other way. The Earls of Ulster and the Spanish forces could have carried the day, preventing the Ulster plantation and making Catholic Ireland an outpost of the Spanish empire. We might all speak Spanish. Consider how radically different Ireland would be today if our strongest ties were with Spain, Mexico and Latin America – and we were adrift from the anglosphere of the UK, US and Australia. Whether we like it or not, our past shapes our present in profound ways. Abie Philbin Bowman is the creator and co-host (with historian Kate O'Malley) of the RTÉ Radio 1 series, and podcast, Irish Imperial Lives, which returns on Saturday, August 2nd at 8pm
