The story of the election so far is without a doubt Sinn Féin’s surge in popularity. While it will be difficult for the party to translate popularity in the polls to seats with exact symmetry, this election will mark the beginning of a shift in power dynamics in the Irish political landscape.

That shift is generational, cultural, and social, and these changes are now being reflected in the party-political space, which is something that responds to changes in society rather than leads them.