The Secret Life of Leinster House: What you really need to know about how the country is run

by Gavan Reilly

What is it like to run for election? How do public representatives deal with the cut-throat competition from their rivals – and their own running mates? What's the Dáil bar really like? And how, given the demands of the 24-hour news cycle, does any meaningful work get done?
Political correspondent Gavan Reilly turns his keen analytical eye to the machinations of Leinster House. With unprecedented access to political insiders, Gavan offers us a seat at the cabinet table exposing how Irish politics really works.
'If you want to understand, really understand, how Irish politics works behind the scenes, you should read this book' SHANE COLEMAN
'This book has it all … the ultimate behind-the-curtain guide to the world of Irish politics' JENNIFER BRAY
'Invaluable insights into the drama, demands and drudgery of politics … essential reading for anyone with ambitions' SEAN O'ROURKE

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Irish Literature, Ireland

296 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2025

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely flew through this one from one of the top journalists in the country.

Very, very easy to read and manages to make the most mundane parts of our political system pretty riveting.

The author is such a good writer and renowned journalist that I actually found myself a little disappointed there wasn’t more to sink my teeth into.

The book covers many areas across its 230 or so pages, but some chapters are pretty shallow. I hope that’s due to trying to make it as accessible as possible.

I cant shake a feeling that it could’ve have sacrificed some of its accessibility to go at least a bit further in depth.

Hard not to have a small twinge of disappointment as no doubt the author has deeper insight, more sources and more stories about the secret life of Leinster house.

[A. Oosthoek · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Much about Leinster House is accidental. Even its use as the primary venue of Irish politics was an accident.”

[..]

“For much of the twentieth century, before housing estates became so plentiful and Ireland’s population began rising so quickly, expert tallymen were so infinitely familair with their local turf that it was sometimes possible to identify the swing voters almost by name.”

—-

De titel van dit boek over de geheimen achter de deuren van het Ierse parlementsgebouw trok al vaak genoeg mijn aandacht in de boekenwinkel, maar de nominatie van dit boek voor de boekenclub op werk trok me echt over de drempel. Van het boek dan. Het parlement blijkt best lastig om te bezoeken.

Maargoed, wat dit boek zo leuk maakt is dat het de politieke cultuur van the Emerald Isle bloot leegt. Verschillende parlementariers (TD: Teachta Dála genoemd) worden geinterviewd en geven bijzonder openhartige inzichten. Daaruit blijkt één rode draad: Ierse politici (en met name de vele backbenchers) zijn het grootste deel van de dag bezig met ombudswerk in plaats van wetten maken en bediscussieren. Enerzijds oogt het effectief om politiek en maatschappij dichter bij elkaar te brengen. Anderzijds is het dermate geinstitutionaliseerd dat sommige publieke overheidsdiensten speciale telefoonnummers hebben voor TD’s die proberen specifieke dossiers bovenop de stapel te krijgen om hun lokale achterban te helpen. Mijn eigen gok: deze cultuur is een historisch overblijfsel van een tijd (tot nog geen 40 jaar geleden) toen Ierland nog relatief arm, klein en op zichzelf gericht was. En ik betwijfel of nieuwe generaties politici die stijl blijven aanhouden.

In ieder geval erg toegankelijk en dus een aanrader om te lezen als introductie tot het Ierse staatsbestel.

[James Moran]

didn't realise Leinster house was like the west wing 😍

[Cathal McGuinness · Rating 4 out of 5]

More interesting than I thought it would be, in fairness.

[Rob Keenan · Rating 2 out of 5]

CSPE for slow learners. Best part was when he said that civil servants in Roinn an Taoisigh are a special bunch.

[Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall enjoyable and worthwhile read for anyone with even a passing interest in the workings of the Irish political system.

I particularly enjoyed the sections about the role of the Taoiseach and the Cabinet.

However, if you already follow Irish politics closely, there will not be much enlightening about this book, as most of its content is public knowledge.

Still worth a read for sure.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative guide to how government in Ireland really works, written by the well-known correspondent for Virgin Media News. It's highly informative and gives a real sense of the day to day difficulties faced by all hands.

[Caoimhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

niche

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really enjoyed this. Learnt so much. Fascinated to find out that Charlie Haughey insisted on having only the shiniest grapes. Incredible.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sounds juicy! You pick it up expecting scandal, maybe a politician passed out under a desk, or a secret tunnel to the nearest pub. It turns out to be a lot of polite political gossip. It's like being invited to a wild party and turning up to find everyone talking about committee minutes over digestive biscuits.
Gavan Reilly clearly knows his stuff — he’s like that mate who remembers everything that’s ever happened in the news. Impressive, but after a while you're like, “Alright, mate. We get it. You know how the Dáil works.”

Still, credit where it’s due — he does make the madness of Irish politics make some sort of sense. That alone deserves a medal. The weird traditions, the off-the-record nonsense, the passive-aggressive power plays. That’s where it shines. But just when it gets interesting, it pulls back — like it’s afraid of getting anyone too upset. Bit of a tease!

[James Durkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Life Of Leinster House / Gavan Reilly

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ My sole concern was making sure I didn’t fuck things up for them… ~

I seem to end the year with an Irish Politics book, classy as always sure.

This was a good insight into Leinster House and the inner workings and how it can take over your life. Reilly offers some well informed insight, and the interviews provided give light onto the politicians as people.

As RuPaul would say - Good Luck, and don’t fuck it up. And that’s ever so true for politics.

2025 out, here’s to 2026.

Audiobook Length: 7hrs, 25mins
Narrator: Gavan Reilly

🎧 Listened to on Borrowbox 🎧

Read: 21/12/25 - 30/12/25
Release Date: 16/05/25

[Daryl Feehely · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look behind the curtain into the logistics, machinations, motivations, and quirks of working in Leinster house, primarily as an elected representative.

Gavan does a great job of portraying the day-to-day details of being a TD or Senator with anecdotes, stories, differing generational experiences, and high-level reflections on the balance between the toll of public life and the rewards of serving as a legislator. An essential read for any aspiring politician and equally for those interested in the Irish politics as a whole.

[Stephanie Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable deep dive into the Byzantine world of Irish politics with a host of well known personalities from 2020-2024 coming to the fore. The anecdotes and gleeful recounting of the nuances of Leinster House life and gossip (should these even be separated? LH life seems to spring from LH gossip …!) are retold with the zest of a real political anorak. One to savour now with the election in full swing … only pity is that the Aras never got a chapter …

[Ben Hegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! It is a very easy read, which is a huge compliment from my perspective. It is clear, to the point and very insightful. I just loved reading about the details of how the other jurisdiction on this island is operated. Fascinating and exactly up my street. I appreciated it so much that I read it in three days. Very highly recommended!

[Mr Warren Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you have even a passing interest in Irish politics this is an excellent read. If you want to get into politics at any level this is the best primer you can get. Leinster House an asylum or the best attempt at keeping our country sane? You will find arguments for both sides in these pages. Gavin Reilly has done a great job of unveiling some of the mystery.

[Dylan Sheridan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5. A thorough insight of the workings of Leinster House, however felt it was a bit like being in school. If anything, it made me feel more disillusioned with the aptitude of our elected officials. As is mentioned in a chapter towards the end, everyone just cares about being re-elected, more risk and needle is needed in Irish politics.

[Aiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed reading this and certainly learned a lot, I was left feeling underwhelmed. I think that the tone and general approach were more middlebrow than I prefer. There is another book to be written that explores the Oireachtas in more depth.

[Adam Schmitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic insight into Irish Politics, answering questions I never knew I had! Read it while travelling and was consistently looking forward to the next chance I got to sit down and read a few pages. Worth reading for anyone who’s even remotely interested in how Ireland runs.

[Brendan Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good a book as could be written about the inner working of Irish politics without getting into gossip and rumour. should be mandatory reading for leaving cert civics. Gavan is a fantastic communicator.

[Cian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would prefer the Vincent Browne version of this book ("It'd do your head in, wouldn't it") but Gav is a good skin too. Funny asides and trivia abound. Worth a read if you're a sicko for this kind of thing *raises hand*.

[Darragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read!

[Jack Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into Irish politics!

[Amy McAuley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and informative book detailing the reality of becoming a politician in Ireland. I really enjoyed the writing style, anecdotes and quotes from various politicians.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good overall 'Irish politics for dimmies'. it wasn't nuanced or critical, but did a good job of outlining the basics of how things work in the Irish legislature.

[Theo Puech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy read - flew through it in a day. Some really interesting stuff about being a TD and working in government. Main critique is that there wasn’t enough of it, would’ve liked to have sacrificed some of the accessibility to go more in depth on some bits, especially the sections about actually campaigning.

[Evan OL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very written. Could have done with a little with more length wise, but a good read

[Aoife Fitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible read with some Oireachtas goss thrown in, really enjoyed it

[Andrew]

It’s a great idea for a book, but why is there not a single picture or illustration? Gavan Reilly gained popular attention recently by explaining Ireland’s deceptively complicated electoral system using multi-coloured chocolate Smarties. It’s disappointing, then, that no effort at all was made to liven up the presentation. Even subheadings and the odd side box would have been welcome.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this straight away when it came out and flew through it. As a former Leinster House staffer, I was looking forward to comparing it to my own experiences, and see some of the things I might have missed (which there was plenty of!).

I always find Gavan one of the most detail orientated and interesting commentators on Irish politics for the past few years, and he brings those skills to this guide of how our parliament and government actually work. The timing is appropriate, with general suspicion and disinformation about the political process being constantly stoked online. This book is a very good antidote to that, reminding always of the people that fill all the various roles in the Oireachtas. The significant challenges of working in politics, especially for elected reps, is balanced with an understanding of the occasional opacity of the political process.

It's a good, well researched and accurate portrayal of life and work inside the Dáil and Seanad, and an insight into how things actually work.