Tánaiste and leader of Fianna Fail Michael Martin dismissed negative information about him which he claimed came from Good Gaelas tensions between the two coalition partners rise ahead of the expected call from the general election later this week.

Speaking yesterday at his party’s annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in Bodenstown, Co Kildare, Mr Martin described briefings that he is “irritable” as “stupid” and drew attention to the difference in age between him and the Taoiseach. Simon Harris.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Mr Martin said the trend of raising the issue that “Micheál is getting irritable” had started on Ivan Yates’ radio show. Then, later, in the Sunday Times, senior Fine Gael sources were quoted as saying: “I (Martin) is getting irritable.”

“It’s quite funny on one level but I would tell people to calm down a little bit,” he said. “That’s stupid.”

Asked if his statement in a media interview that he was more focused on substance than sound bites was a reference to Mr Harris, the Tánaiste said it was a comment on his approach to politics “which is a fundamental approach”.

“There can be a tendency in modern politics to grab headlines, to take a very superficial approach, but I consider that in government we are there to do the best we can for the people.”

Mr Martin compared Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s record on housing, saying “Ireland has missed out on years because of past failures”.

“As the former Fine Gael housing minister said Eoghan Murphy As the previous government courageously said, radical reforms have been blocked in favor of a narrow focus on smaller actions.

“Well, we changed when we took over responsibility for housing. Over the past four and a half years, we have implemented a relentless program of reforms and developed new actions,” he said.

But by speaking RTÉ‘s Politics Week, Minister of State for Europe Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill said Mr Martin was wrong to claim credit for the Land use planning agencywhich she claimed had been created and capitalized on by former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.

The weekend’s exchanges come as politicians prepare to return to Leinster House this week for what are expected to be the final days of the current Day.

It is understood the three leaders have not yet agreed on when the election will be called or when the poll will be held, although the Taoiseach is widely expected to ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve the Dáil on Thursday or Friday of that date. week, with voting scheduled for Friday, November 29.

A number of critical bills are due to be passed by the Dáil this week, including the Finance Bill, all of which face being guillotined.

Mr Harris is due to attend a meeting of European Union leaders in Budapest on Thursday evening and Friday morning, where they will discuss the result of this week’s US presidential election and its implications for the EU.

According to a person centrally involved in the process, that means Mr. Harris will call an election either Thursday morning before he leaves for Budapest or, more likely, Friday afternoon when he returns.