Housing and cost of living dominated public debate in election campaign

Housing and the cost of living were the dominant issues raised by voters across the country before the 2024 general election.
Over recent weeks, The Irish Times has run a series of Meet the Voters articles, hearing from various sections of Irish society, across the country, on their thoughts before polling day.
Housing was at the forefront of many people’s minds, young and old, with property prices continuing to accelerate over the past year.
At Boxx Barbers in Finglas, north Dublin, Shaun Reid (29) explained that he was living at home with his parents. He and his partner have four children between them and was minded to vote for Sinn Féin because of the housing crisis.
“It’s another opportunity for change,” he said. “I’m saving with my partner for a house. You are looking at the housing crisis and you are getting less motivated as the prices go up. You look further out from Finglas and houses are going up there as well.
“It’s a hard situation for anyone in power. I’d rather give the opportunity to Sinn Féin because they haven’t had the chance. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have had the chance and it has not worked out well for them.”
A similar picture was painted by DCU student Amber Kane (18), who lives with her mother, sister and grandparents. The accounting and finance student said housing instability was now becoming intergenerational.
“Even then it’s like my mam can’t get a house, and we can’t either,” she said. “I can’t see in the near future how I’d ever get a house. Obviously we started a college course, we want to have a career and job, but you’re putting all the effort in and you don’t know what you’re going to get back out. That’s really frustrating.”
In Kilkenny city, Paula Fleming, a special needs assistant and member of the Nore Dragon Paddlers group, said: “All three of my children are in their 20s, all graduated from college during the pandemic but yet can’t afford to buy or even rent.
“I went to London in the 1980s to work … and came back in 1999, but never thought I would see my children in the same boat.”
The cost of living was another prominent topic for voters.
At a greyhound meeting in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Joe Gaffney (54), who works in a medical factory, said he was “worse off financially” compared to five years ago.
“Car insurance is going up, health insurance, everything is going up,” he said. “This country is so hard to live in … I wouldn’t like to be a young person, you get a job but you have nowhere to live … and they wonder why so many young people are going to Australia.”
Dublin taxi man David Cummins said petrol costs were “very high”; he spends about €250 per week to fill his van, a significant chunk of his earnings.
Other issues raised by voters were health, public transport and the mismanagement of public finances.
In Greystones, Co Wicklow, home to Taoiseach Simon Harris, sea swimmers, The Dryrobers, discussed Dart services, traffic problems, childcare and shortages of school places.
For Clare Island residents in Co Mayo, there were more localised problems about the dangers of Roonagh pier, commuting costs and the complexities of island living.
Members of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) branch in Portlaoise, Co Laois spoke about hazardous footpaths on the main street, the cost of living with a disability, accessible housing and transport.
At a social gathering of LGBTQ+ group Quare Clare, the rise of far-right parties has been a concern and anti-immigration protests.
“Everyone knows what this leads to, if they pick on one minority, as soon as they are out of fashion, they will pick on another,” said Maurice O’Sullivan, from Corofin.
“We would be in the firing line for that. We all know what that feels like.”
While members of the public set out the issues affecting them, with some indicating who they might vote for, others spoke of being undecided.
At the CLEAS Irish language book club at Gaeilge Locha Riach in Loughrea, Co Galway, Ruth Ní Shiadhail said her natural inclination was to vote Green, but “the Greens that we have are all city based”.
“So the Greens are too city based and we don’t really have a proper Labour Party any more so we have very few options,” she said. “I am struggling to know who to vote for. Nobody is representing me.”
Cepta Sheppard (64), a customer at Zinc hair and beauty salon in Kilmainham, Dublin said she voted for Fine Gael in the past but was also uncertain.
“I’m really on the fence,” she said. “I would like to say I would give Sinn Féin a vote but I think personally, they would actually bankrupt the country because they have these crazy ideas.”
Read the Meet the Voters series here