Simon Harris defends handing over the Gaeltacht brief to Fianna Fáil - says Hildegarde Naughten’s workload was high with the special education portfolio, and it made sense for brief to be taken by the junior minister already based at the ‘parent department’, i.e. Thomas Byrne

Here's Mick Wallace speaking in the European Parliament today about the funding of UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees – and, at the end, this weekend's Turin Derby in Serie A.

The Italian interpreter, caught on the hop, doesn't quite translate him verbatim. 🐂

As reported elsewhere: indications the government will delay the planned referendum on the Unified Patent Court which was due to be alongside the local and European elections on June 7. Legislation for it has already been passed by Dáil, and its second reading in Seanad

Another Ardfheis this weekend - but a guest at the last one, in November, won’t be there.

🎧 Some lunchtime listening?

In your podcast feeds now…

⏯️ Apple: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/can…
⏯️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4lBvUI…
⏯️ Everywhere else: linktr.ee/thegroupchatpod

Cody Rhodes not the only one to Finish The Story™️ this week

👀 Dáil hears that revised targets for housing delivery in Ireland, in light of Census 2022, will not be published until the autumn of this year… Govt says this is because its own targets are the only ones underpinned by 'robust' statistics and modelling

This week on #TheGroupChat …

🗳️ New Taoiseach, same problems: what could Simon Harris do different?
🏡 James Kavanagh on the challenge of buying a house in rural Ireland
🇵🇸 Ireland’s going to recognise Palestine… and then what?
🥔 The imminent spud shortage

And more. 11pm VM1

Simon Harris tells his first meeting of FG PP as leader that FG “can win the next election” and play a major role in formation of next govt. Also defends target of 250k new homes in the next five years, says it’s “entirely deliverable” Virgin Media News