The doors of the Dáil chamber have been locked and TDs have scuttled back to their constituencies for the Christmas break so it is only right Independent.ie’s Floating Voter podcast looks back at their performances over the last 12 months.

In the past year, our lawmakers made history by legalising abortion, Michael D Higgins was returned to office for a second term and Danny Healy Rae was photographed asleep at a GAA match.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also made headlines by trying to impress Donald Trump with a claim he may have influenced a planning decision linked to the US President’s golf course in Clare. And he upset first-time buyers by telling them to turn to the ‘bank of mum and dad’ when saving up for a deposit.

On the podcast, Independent Newspapers political editor Kevin Doyle grills his in-house team, deputy political editor Philip Ryan and political correspondent Laura Larkin, about their highlights of the year.

Their knowledge of political events is also put to the test with the first-ever Floating Voter/Sunday Independent political quiz.