With the upcoming general election in the Republic set to decide the makeup of the 34th Dáil, a number of key issues have so far dominated discussions on the campaign trail.
In last night’s first leaders’ debate, many of those issues were covered, from housing and cost of living to immigration.
Here’s a closer look at some of the topics which could come into play at this year’s election.
More: Fiery exchanges in the first televised leaders debate of Irish general election
Housing
A long-time issue in Ireland, the housing crisis is sure to loom large in the minds of voters as they head to the polls at the end of the month.
It has consistently ranked high in opinion polls on issues which matter most to people.
The government has come under fire for not doing enough to tackle the housing problem, which has been around since the financial crash.
A lack of housing has caused house prices and rent to rise – while the government has defended its record on house building and offered grants for first-time buyers, opposition parties argue the state’s response needs to be greater.
Cost of Living
While the government will be hoping this will help their cause at the polls, cost of living remains a key issue for many.
A lot of households continue to feel the lasting impact of inflation and price of food and goods remains a priority.
Immigration
Immigration has become a controversial topic over the past few years, with those on the right turning to protests and even violent demonstrations over the issue of accommodation for refugees.
Parties tend to agree that the issue of immigration is linked to concerns around housing and that solving the housing crisis will lessen concerns over asylum accommodation.
Other issues which could also come into play include education, childcare as well as government spending and recent party scandals.
