Voters in Dublin Central and Galway West head to the polls this week. By-elections have a long history of delivering tough verdicts on governments — and the signs suggest these contest could follow that trend.

In Dublin Central, Sinn Féin is leading and the Social Democrats are gaining ground, while Fianna Fáil faces a challenging fight. Add in high-profile independent candidates like Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, and the race becomes even more unpredictable.

But this campaign has also been overshadowed by a more unusual controversy — an investigation into suspicious betting patterns on the Polymarket platform, with over $1 million wagered and the majority of trades flagged as potentially irregular.

Ciara Doherty is joined by Newstalk’s Sean Defoe and political scientist Theresa Reidy to break down the latest polling, the key battlegrounds, and the controversy that has added a new layer of intrigue to this race.