Sinn Féin plummets to its lowest poll ranking since the start of 2020

The largest opposition party was at 37pc in the same poll series in October 2022, but its support has nosedived in recent months.

Fine Gael is six points ahead of Sinn Féin and up 2pc on the previous poll as the “Harris hop” continues to yield positive polling results.

Sinn Féin has now even fallen behind Fianna Fáil, which is up 3pc to 20pc.

The disappointing result comes despite Sinn Féin having a good weekend and coming in as the largest party in Northern Ireland in the UK elections.

Taoiseach Simon Harris is also expected, by 44pc of poll respondents, to remain as the leader of the country after the next general election. When the same question was asked a month ago, only 30pc expected Mr Harris to still be Taoiseach after the election.

Expectations that Mary Lou McDonald could become the first female taoiseach after the country goes to the polls have waned considerably. Only 20pc now believe that will happen — a significant fall from 32pc in the June poll and down from a high of 57pc in September 2022.

Some 20pc said they thought Tánaiste Micheál Martin would be the next taoiseach, up from 15pc in the previous poll.

In September 2022, only 6pc of the public polled expected Mr Martin to get a second stint as taoiseach.

Mr Harris’s own personal rating has gone up and he is now the country’s most popular leader at 53pc, surpassing Tánaiste Micheál Martin who is at 51pc.

The Sinn Féin decline is also reflected in Ms McDonald’s own support as party leader, which has fallen to 34pc, down two points.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns remains in third place and up by two points to 42pc.

A Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil/Independent government is now viewed as most likely by poll respondents — with 33pc viewing this as the most likely outcome after the next general election. A Sinn Féin government without either of the two Civil War parties is viewed as the second most likely government.

The current Coalition is the third least likely government after the next election, according to the poll.

At 58pc, housing remains the biggest issue for the public, up four points from last month’s poll.

Meanwhile immigration has fallen by 12 points, it stays in second place at 29pc.

Housing also should be prioritised by new Finance Minister Jack Chambers, with 24pc saying this is the biggest pre-election Budget issue, followed by tax cuts at 21pc.

The vast majority of the public also agrees with the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal the suspended sentence given to soldier Cathal Crotty, according to the poll, with 81pc approving.

Crotty received a suspended sentence last month after pleading guilty to the assault of Natasha O’Brien in Limerick.

Ms O’Brien has become a household name in recent weeks in speaking out about the assault and campaigning for improvements in the justice system.