Ireland: The Executive-Centred Politics of Covid-19

Irish government responses to Covid-19 initially cleaved closely to the advice of public health officials. The government was influenced by the dynamic problem pressures exerted by Covid-19, but it was also influenced by the pressure of economic and social problems and by other, political considerations, not least in December 2020 when it diverged from public health advice and relaxed containment measures, a move that had significant consequences for Covid-19 infections and deaths. This chapter shows that key features of Ireland’s pre-Covid governance and politics were reproduced in the first 15 months of its Covid-19 response, including its executive-heavy political system, its convergent party politics, and its non-politicised civil service. However, the pandemic also brought other features to the fore, including open conflict between the government and civil servants, and intense bureaucratic politics.