LAST UPDATE | 5 hrs ago

IT’S DAY 15 and there’s only one week to go until voters take to the polling stations. Here’s what’s been going on today:

• Independent Ireland launched their manifesto in Athlone this morning, with an eye-catching pledge to introduce a Luas in every county.
• Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was interviewed on Claire Byrne’s show on RTÉ Radio 1, where she defended her party’s proposal to “review” RTÉ’s coverage of Gaza.
• After this, McDonald joined other Sinn Féin candidates at an event in Dublin to speak about how a Sinn Féin-led government would prioritise Irish unity.
• Elsewhere in the capital, Labour’s finance spokesperson Ged Nash and workers’ rights spokesperson Marie Sherlock launched their party’s plan to end low pay and give employees more power at work.
• Also in Dublin, Minister Paschal Donohoe was out for Fine Gael along with more of the party’s candidates to launch its plan to invest in Dublin city centre.
• Across the way on Fade Street, The Social Democrats’ justice spokesperson Catherine Murphy and other candidates were out in force to launch the party’s youth manifesto.
• For the Greens, leader Roderic O’Gorman and Minister Malcolm Noonan were out in Kilkenny to launch proposals for a new Basic Income for Carers and other cost of living measures, including lower childcare fees.
• In Roscommon, Minister Charlie McConalogue and fellow Fianna Fáil candidate Dr Martin Daly outlined the party’s policies on agriculture, fisheries and rural areas.
• Meanwhile, People Before Profit’s environment spokesperson Paul Murphy held an event in Dublin this morning where he was talking about the party’s call for a ban on new LNG infrastructure. 
• This afternoon, People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny will be in the Dublin mid-west constituency, where he’ll be speaking about the party’s election manifesto proposals to decriminalise drugs and make cannabis legal. MEP Luke Ming Flanagan will be joining him.