Will Gavin report be the ghost of Christmas past for Martin?

James Cox

Here, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.

Martin's leadership at risk after Gavin report?

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has survived the review into Fianna Fáil's disastrous presidential campaign, but there is still plenty of discontent within the party.

There were no shock revelations as the review into Fianna Fáil's presidential campaign was published last week, but Mr Martin was described as "defensive" at the parliamentary party meeting.

Mr Martin had criticised "inaccurate" commentary ahead of the publication of the report into the selection of Jim Gavin as the party's candidate.

The review found that the party had been asked about possible issues with a former tenant on several occasions before Mr Gavin was officially selected as the Fianna Fáil candidate on September 9th.

Meanwhile, the total spend on the presidential election was around €400,000.

Mr Martin and deputy leader Jack Chambers had heavily backed Mr Gavin, but he withdrew three weeks before the vote after it emerged he owed €3,300 to a former tenant in overpaid rent.

The former Dublin football manager has since repaid the money. He declined to be interviewed for the review, but a legal representative for Mr Gavin requested an advanced copy before its publication.

The report revealed the Taoiseach’s chief of staff Deirdre Gillane, Mr Chambers, and members of the party's press office were told of a potential problem in the days before Mr Gavin became the official candidate.

However, the report does not indicate when Micheál Martin was made aware of the issue.

The review recommends increased vetting for future candidate selection processes, including interviews with family, friends, former colleagues and "political opponents".

The report did not provide the 'smoking gun' some critics of Mr Martin's leadership had expected, however, the meeting was described as "tense" with the Taoiseach "defensive".

Cork MEP Billy Kelleher, who also sought the presidential nomination, said Mr Gavin had been hidden during the campaign.

Other TDs also said Mr Gavin had been "shielded".

The Irish Times spoke to all of the party's TDs and few were willing to go on the record with criticism of the party leader.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has been widely tipped as the most likely successor to Mr Martin.

However, he appears to be biding his time and has always publicly backed the Taoiseach.

Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July 1st to December 31st, 2026.

Some party figures have suggested Mr Martin may hand over the leadership after the presidency ends, allowing a colleague to serve as Taoiseach until the rotation with Fine Gael comes into effect November 16th, 2027.

International far-right groups taking inspiration from Irish violence against migrants

International far-right organisations have taken inspiration from extremist violence against migrants in Ireland, according to an organisation that monitors global far-right movements.

In a report from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (Gpahe), seen by BreakingNews.ie, the authors wrote: "The violence against migrants has made Ireland of particular interest to the international far right, who view the unrest and protests as an inspiration or an example of the white rage festering below the surface as they are forced to endure the indignity of living with unwanted migrants. Images from the 2025 unrest, like masked participants charging police lines on horseback, have been spread across far-right Telegram channels in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and across Europe."

The report warns that althought Ireland's far-right "may be small in both size and power compared to many of its European contemporaries" it "nonetheless occupies a significant position as a place of motivation and inspiration for far-right actors and broader anti-immigration movement".

The report traces the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the abortion referendum, the far-right has been "gaining a foothold" in Ireland.

This was exacerbated by anti-lockdown and Covid-19 conspiracy theories during lockdown restrictions during the pandemic.

The report notes: "Many of Ireland’s far-right groups are influenced by American far-right extremists, as they have imported conspiracy theories about “cultural Marxism” and the white supremacist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that were popularized in the US. To date, none of these groups have had any real electoral success, but are active in attempts to stir up hatred and fear in communities."

Gpahe also point to an attempt by far-right parties in Ireland to amalgamate in what they called the 'National Alliance'.

"This has come to include a swath of small political parties that banded together in 2024 in what they called the National Alliance. While this was a strong showing of unity from the country’s typically fragmented far-right that managed to bring together political parties with xenophobic and discriminatory platforms like the National Party, Ireland First, The Irish People, and several independent candidates, the coalition failed to produce a significant turnout at polling stations and eventually fell apart.

"Outside of the ballot box, the subject of immigration has been mobilizing for the far right, as a handful of smaller groups that target immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community have emerged. Many of these groups use the long history of the Irish people and the Catholic Church to provide religious and cultural justifications for targeting immigrant communities. Others invoke the specter of Hitler’s National Socialism to justify their hatred."

Abroad

US president Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces, even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s US midterm elections.

Mr Trump has already surged immigration agents into major US cities, where they swept through ‍neighbourhoods and clashed with residents.

While federal agents this year conducted some high-profile raids on businesses, they largely avoided raiding farms, factories, and other businesses that are economically important but known to employ immigrants without legal status.

ICE and Border Patrol will get $170 billion in additional funds through September 2029, a ‍huge surge of funding over their existing annual budgets of about $19 billion after the Republican-controlled Congress passed a massive spending package in July.