ABSTRACT
Following a general election in early February, Ireland’s political response to COVID-19 was led by an outgoing administration as no coalition agreement was formed until months later. This chapter focuses on these early months, up to late June, aligning with the period when the new government took over. There is little doubt that the caretaker government generally communicated its messages well, with strong performances from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and senior Ministers in particular. Furthermore, their authoritativeness was bolstered by health experts who would become household names and gain public trust: the overall sentiment was of policy decisions informed by, not at odds with, expert health advice. Although there were missteps and confusion in some areas such as facemasks, guidelines and restrictions were generally well-communicated. Elsewhere, a sense of national unity was a common theme to much of the messaging in the Taoiseach’s national addresses, momentous speeches which punctuated the national response to the virus’s most rampant weeks in Ireland. Although the cohesion and support for the new government would be called into question later in the summer, there can be no denying that the initial months were, overall, an effective demonstration of clear, consistent messaging.
