What the fuel protests meant
From Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan by The Irish Times
April 22, 2026 · 52 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of the recent fuel protests in Ireland and their impact on urban-rural political dynamics.
The country is moving on from the protests that dominated the national discussion over Easter, even as what the protests actually meant continues to generate debate. Leo Varadkar poured more fuel on the fire by telling rural dwellers that, far from them being the backbone that holds up the country, it is their city cousins who pay all the bills. Could these events mark the start of deeper urban-rural divide in politics? It seems very possible the protests will be looked back on as an important step in Ireland’s political evolution, wherever that leads. Today Hugh is joined by UCD political economy lecturer Michael Byrne and political correspondent Ellen Coyne to talk about what the events of April 2026 have revealed about Irish society, Irish politics and how Irish people look at democracy, protest and the urban-rural divide. You can read Michael Byrne’s Substack blog on housing here . Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Hugh Linehan
Guests: Michael Byrne, Ellen Coyne
Topics covered
- fuel protests
- urban-rural divide
- Irish politics
- democracy
- social issues
Keywords
- fuel protests
- Ireland
- urban-rural divide
- politics
- democracy
- Michael Byrne
- Ellen Coyne
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UCD
Places: Ireland
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