Shed happens..

THE end of the political year will come screeching to a halt next week as our elected representatives will run out of Leinster House to start their nearly 12-week summer recess.

- BY LOUISE BURNE Political Correspondent

However, many might argue it has not recovered from the screeching halt that occurred when then-Taoiseach Simon Harris called a general election last November.

Unusually, this political year has consisted of two Dails, the 33rd and 34th, but the amount of work that has been done by either in this political term has been sparse.

Ahead of the break next Thursday, we are taking a look back at the highlights of the last nine months in Leinster House.

SEPTEMBER

Following the summer recess with a general election on the horizon, all anyone could talk about was a bike shed.

It emerged that a new bike shelter, built on the Merrion Square side of Leinster House, had cost €336,000 to build.

The structure, which is only covered on one side and does not fully prevent bikes from getting wet, elicited fury in the public, and politicians lambasted the coalition over the outrageous cost.

OCTOBER

The ink on the budget was barely dry, and already, attention was turning to when Simon Harris would call the general election.

Following a giveaway bonanza and a cost of living package the Government swore blind would not be introduced, everyone in Leinster House was packing up their office to head out on the election trail.

Mr Harris' language changed. Rather than continuing to say the Government would go "full term," he started to refuse to define what "full term" meant and refused to rule out a pre-Christmas election.

NOVEMBER

After weeks of speculation, Harris finally confirmed in early November that there would be a three-week election period before voting on November 29.

The election was full of ups and downs.

Sinn Fein, which had been dogged by several controversies early in the Dail term, failed to fully find its feet.