Ireland election: Why are generations divided on the economy?

Eamon Fay has been making Irish dancing shoes for more than 40 years.

He counts the Riverdance and Lord of the Dance troupes among his customers, as well as the thousands of young children who have taken up the hobby.

Mr Fay, 57, is the only remaining Irish dance shoe manufacturer in Ireland. He says the economic downturn with COVID was a major hit to business.

“I’m kind of the last man standing at this stage,” he says.

Mr Fay lives in the north Dublin suburb of Clontarf, with his wife and three sons, aged 27, 24 and 22.

“There’s quite an argument in my house because my three sons vote Sinn Fein and I vote Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and so does my wife.

“So we’ve had many heated discussions because they want Sinn Fein, because they say about the housing crisis. But they’re young enough that in my estimation, they don’t know Sinn Fein the way I know Sinn Fein – so I vote Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.”

The debates in Eamon’s home reflect thousands of families across Ireland.

The two centre-right coalition parties appear to have outperformed both the exit poll and expectations before polling day.

But that same exit poll shows the wide variance in how the generations voted.

Among those aged 25 to 34, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s combined support was 22%, versus Sinn Fein’s 36%. Other left-wing parties were on a total of 24%.

But the two centre-right parties were supported by 55% of over-65s, compared with 13% for Sinn Fein and 13% for the other left-wing parties.

First-time voters told Sky News how housing was the principal issue for them in the election.

Dara Walker, 19, is a student at Dublin City University. He lives with his parents in Dublin and works part-time at a local restaurant.

“Housing was probably one of the biggest factors when I was deciding to vote – I went towards candidates who were offering [that].

“I’d like to move out right now preferably, with the amount that I’m working, but I think it’s impossible.

“I can’t work full-time as well as being in college – it’s hard to find that balance.

“I like living with my parents but I do want a level of independence and I want a candidate who will give that to me.”

Read more:
How Ireland voted in maps and charts
Alleged crime boss narrowly misses seat in parliament
Why did anti-immigration candidates do so badly?

Meanwhile, friends Odhran Lagan, 19, and Julia O’Connor Breathnach, 18, also say housing is their biggest issue.

The law and French students are from Derry and Galway respectively – both more than 200km from Dublin.

“Obviously we don’t have proper jobs, we’re not professionals – we’re students and we’re expected to pay obscene rents for awful rooms,” Odhran says.

“It’s insane – €1,200 (£995) for a shared room. It’s November now and we’re already talking about what we’re going to do for next year and trying to figure it out somehow,” Julia adds.

“We’re not going to stop our studies but obviously we have to find a place to stay. So I’d say housing is really a huge one, especially in Dublin, and just the cost of everything.”

“We have had the same parties in power for how long now and it’s still getting worse. I remember Leo Varadkar saying, ‘One person’s rent is another person’s income’,” Odhran added.

But Gail McElroy, a political science professor at Trinity College Dublin and the only academic involved in the exit poll, told Sky News that in Ireland, unlike much of the rest of the world, the centre is holding.

“[It is] one of the most striking things about the 2024 election – it looks really like the incumbents are going to be returned.

“This is a product to some extent of the electoral system, but also a booming economy and a general fear to some extent about what the future holds,” she said.

“This is a general election – what really matters is chequebook politics.

“People care about the cost of living, housing and economic stability. That’s what’s first and foremost in their minds when they’re voting,” Professor McElroy added.

“The current incumbents are running a stable, economically successful government. And it seems like the people of Ireland are happy enough.”