Elaine Loughlin: The coalition parties have work to do to win rural Ireland backIrish Examiner poll finds two thirds of people living in rural Ireland feel independent TDs represent them best Tue, 15 Sep, 2026 – 12:10Elaine Loughlin
The weekly grocery shop, car insurance, health insurance, a fill of petrol or home heating oil, every bill now represents yet another price hike.
Facing into a winter of rising costs, it’s no wonder the public is losing confidence in this Government’s ability to support them.
However, one striking finding of the Irish Examiner’s Rural Ireland Thinks poll is that people living in rural Ireland are also turning away from the main opposition parties and are now seeking out independent TDs, who by their very nature have the freedom to be more radical and outspoken in their views and policies.
People in rural Ireland are increasingly dissatisfied with the main political leaders and have ranked them all below five out of 10 when they were asked to score their performances.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who scored an average of 6.21 when the poll was carried out in 2024, now sits on 4.39. Tánaiste Simon Harris has also fallen from an average of 5.72 to a score of 4.24.
Opposition leaders do not fare much better. Holly Cairns of the Social Democrats is on 4.12, followed by Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald on 3.87; Labour leader Ivana Bacik on 3.69 and Roderic O’Gorman of the Greens on 3.33.
The survey found two-thirds of people living in rural Ireland feel independent TDs represent them best.
But how this might translate into Dáil seats come the next general election is hard to predict given the myriad of different views and platforms on-party candidates tend to stand on.
The 16 independent TDs who were returned to the current Dáil after the 2020 general election include everyone from the two Healy-Rae brothers in Kerry, to Matie McGrath in Tipperary South, and Paul Gogarty in Dublin Mid-West.
It includes a group who supported the coalition, some of whom have secured junior ministerial roles as a result, as well as Verona Murphy, who was appointed Ceann Comhairle.
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While a person may, in theory, favour Independent representation, at election time they may find there is no non-party candidate that reflects their political views on the ballot paper in their area.
This is in contrast to political parties which run candidates in every constituency.
More than 80% of people living in rural Ulster agreed independent TDs better represented the issues which were most important to them compared to just over half of those in Leinster.
This is particularly interesting given Charles Ward, who ran as a Mica redress candidate, was the only TD who could be considered to be roughly in the independent group elected in the five-seat constituency of Donegal in the last election.
Cavan and Monaghan have no independent representative in the Dáil, having returned a combination of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin TDs.
But the poll does show farmers and those living in rural Ireland feel increasingly disconnected from mainstream politics, with 60% stating the current Government does not reflect their priorities or perspectives.
Not only that, but the further away from the capital a person lives, the more disconnected they feel.
A strong east-west divergence of opinion has emerged, with 72% of those living in Connacht agreeing the Government does not represent rural Ireland.
This compares to 54% of people living in rural Leinster, who said they do not feel represented by the current coalition.
A growing disgruntlement and feeling of being left behind was seen with the thousands of farmers and hauliers who staged blockades around the country during the fuel protests earlier this year.
In an attempt to stop tensions flaring once again, the Government decided to hold off on a planned restoration of excise on fuel, which will see some level of reduction in place until the spring.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has hinted the level of tax on home heating oil may be treated differently than petrol and diesel as part of cost-of-living measures, giving some relief to households.
But ministers have been at pains to stress that they will have less to spend across all departments in this year’s budget. Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has warned his colleagues budget over-runs would no longer be accepted and they will have to find the money for most additional measures through savings in other areas.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil must find a way to restore confidence among those living in rural areas, who traditionally would have been strong supporters of the two parties and whose votes will be needed come election time.
- This report was funded by the News Reporting Scheme
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