September brings a reset to Irish politics.  In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s high-profile visit, which placed both the importance of the transatlantic relationship and Ireland’s support for humanitarian action in the spotlight, the Government’s attention now turns to the return of the Oireachtas and the political agenda ahead. 

Before the Oireachtas settles into its autumn term, attention turns first to the National Ploughing Championships. Government parties will face an agricultural sector seeking firm commitments on farm incomes, with reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget taking centre stage. The Irish Farmers’ Association estimates that Ireland could lose more than €2.5 billion, equivalent to 24%, under current CAP proposals. It is calling on the Government to protect Ireland’s allocation as negotiations on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework progress.  

Those longer-term concerns are sharpened by immediate pressures on farm cashflow. Farming organisations helped secure reduced fuel excise rates until November, while the IFA is also seeking additional fuel and fertiliser supports. Difficult weather has added to the pressure: an August Teagasc survey found that 31% of farms faced, or were at risk of, significant fodder shortages following drought. CAP funding, input costs and feed availability will therefore arrive at the Ploughing as connected concerns about farm viability and food security. 

Those pressures will follow the coalition into Budget 2027 on 6 October. An €8.5 billion package has been provided for, comprising €7 billion in additional expenditure and €1.5 billion in new tax measures. However, the headline figure does not translate into equivalent room for new initiatives. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers has warned that departments face “real trade-offs and prioritisation”, while describing the tax package as modest and likely to deliver savings of a few hundred euro, depending on income. Income-tax changes, childcare fee reductions, higher inheritance-tax thresholds and a tax-efficient personal investment account remain under consideration alongside welfare and energy measures. 

Much of this represents established direction rather than new policy. Childcare affordability, “making work pay” and supporting domestic business are cornerstone Programme for Government commitments. Micheál Martin has indicated that the Government will prioritise permanent measures over universal once-off payments, arguing that measures such as energy credits reduce the funding available for lasting interventions in childcare and social protection. He has nevertheless expressed support for a possible stamp-duty exemption for first-time buyers, although the proposal remains subject to coalition discussions. With household energy and transport costs rising again, the Budget will test whether the Government can maintain that longer-term approach while demonstrating an immediate response to renewed cost-of-living pressures. 

However, public-sector pay further complicates things. The previous agreement expired on 30 June without a successor, and formal negotiations on a new deal have yet to begin. Since then, 96.6% of participating Fórsa members have backed industrial action, alongside similarly strong mandates across other unions. Fórsa and SIPTU members in health, local authorities and State agencies are due to begin industrial action on 30 September, including work-to-rule arrangements and withdrawal from overtime, with the possibility of escalation. Nurses and midwives have also voted overwhelmingly for action. The Government has maintained that it wants negotiations to resume but has said that any agreement must remain within its wider fiscal parameters. Coming less than a week before the Budget, this will undoubtedly increase pressure on the coalition to establish a receptive basis for talks while balancing demands for restored purchasing power, improved services and control of public expenditure. 
 
Economic pressures will not be the only issues awaiting the returning Dáil. Proposed reforms to citizenship and the Triple Lock place two contested domestic questions within a wider effort to bring Ireland’s policies more closely into line with comparable European and international partners. The Government argues that stronger residency, language and civic requirements for naturalisation would reflect common European practice, while opposition voices have questioned the fairness and necessity of the proposed restrictions. Reform of the Triple Lock is similarly contested: opponents connect its removal with a weakening of Irish neutrality, whereas the Government maintains that neutrality will remain intact. Both reforms require legislative change, leaving the Government reliant on cohesion across the coalition to deliver them. That challenge is already evidentwithin Fianna Fáil, where some backbenchers have already raised concerns about the proposed Triple Lock reforms. Managing those divisions will test the coalition’s discipline as it seeks to bring Ireland into closer alignment with international partners. 

Ireland’s EU Council Presidency will also place technology policy in focus. The International AI Summit in Dublin on October 14th will examine AI’s contribution to European competitiveness, including questions of infrastructure, investment, skills and responsible adoption. With 16 of the world’s 20 largest technology companies and eight leading foundation-model providers maintaining their main EU establishment here, Ireland occupies an influential, and closely scrutinised, position. The summit will provide an opportunity to advance Ireland’s ambition to serve as a bridge between global innovation and the European market, while the AI Office continues the domestic work of implementing the EU AI Act and shaping the environment for organisations developing or deploying AI. 
 
Navigating the political world from the outside can be challenging. The reality on the ground in Irish politics and how it connects at local, European, and international level can be difficult to decipher in contested political spaces where spin abounds. At Springboard Communications, our public affairs team comes from a cross-section of Irish and international politics to support clients in understanding what they need to know about political developments and how they impact on organisational goals and reputation. To find out more about our work in public affairs, visit springboardcommunications.ie/public-affairs or contact our public affairs lead Aimée Millar at Aimee@springboardcommunications.ie.