Here’s the real story of the Irish election: beneath the appearance of calm lies a storm | Fintan O'Toole

Ireland has, in effect, full employment, an expanded workforce and a booming economy. So why is it such a nation in flux?

The best description of Ireland's political landscape after Friday's general election might be: strangely familiar. The familiar bit is easy. The two main incumbent parties, Micheal Martin's Fianna Fail and Simon Harris's Fine Gael, received almost exactly the same combined share of the vote (43%) as they did in 2020. As a result, the identical twins of Irish politics that have governed the state since it came into being just over a century ago will continue to do so.

One of them, Fianna Fail, which has won the most seats this time, emerged as the dominant political machine in the 1930s and was almost permanently in charge until its vote imploded in 2011 after the bloody death of the Celtic Tiger. It is now edging back, if not towards its old ascendancy, then certainly into a comfortable seat at the centre of power. Its like-minded partner, Fine Gael, has been continually in government in one form or another since 2011, and if the incoming administration lasts a full term it will remain there until 2029.

Fintan O'Toole is a columnist with the Irish Times and the author of We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland