On paper the results of the 2024 Irish general election signalled continuity. That was also true in government formation. The main centrist parties that had traditionally dominated Irish politics, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, entered the election seeking a return of their government. The two parties came close to an overall majority. Thus they could continue their coalition, replacing the Green Party with several independent TDs. That small change might indicate a slight but important ideological change in direction for the government, and sets up a clearer ideological divide in the 34th Dáil.