Door to power in Dail Eireann can be unlocked in Limerick City constituency

Constituency Profile: Limerick City

Background:

THE DOOR to power in the next Dail will be unlocked in constituencies like Limerick City, where the major parties will hope to gain an extra seat to put them on the path to victory.

Four seats are up for grabs in this urban constituency. And we can expect a battle royale for the fourth and final seat here, with a number of high-profile local politicians hoping to make their breakthrough to the Dail.

Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and Fine Gael have all provided their more established candidates with running mates, while Labour, Independent Ireland, Aontu and the Social Democrats are also represented on the ballot paper.

READ MORE: Front-bench TDs seek re-election in Limerick County constituency

No fewer than eight candidates running in the City constituency also contested the maiden election to be the first directly elected mayor - that experience clearly whetting their appetite for representative politics.

Unlike at the 2020 General Election, where candidates were campaigning in both Limerick and parts of North Tipperary, it's an all Treaty affair this time.

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The constituency is dominated by the city and its suburtbs, but extends north-eastwards to the county boundary with Tipperary.

The three areas of the Premier County formerly in Limerick City - Birdhill, Kilcomenty and Newport - have been returned to Tipperary North.

The faces:

Fianna Fail veteran Willie O'Dea - first elected in 1982 - will be hoping to return to the top of the poll, having sacrificed the mantle to Sinn Fein rival Maurice Quinlivan last time.

He has been paired with former Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan, who was the highest performing party candidate at this summer's mayoral election.

Like in 2020, Fine Gael's Minister of State Kieran O'Donnell is joined on the ticket by Senator Maria Byrne.

There's another member of the Upper House seeking election: Paul Gavan, whose entry to the race as a running mate to Sinn Fein's Mr Quinlivan has raised eyebrows.

Another candidate in the mayoral election, Councillor Conor Sheehan has his eyes on winning a seat, which had been held by the party since the days of the late Jim Kemmy and only lost in 2020 when former Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan missed out.

Independent councillor Frankie Daly was beaten to the final seat four years ago by Green TD Brian Leddin, and both men are running once again, having also faced one another in June in the contest to become Limerick's first directly elected mayor.

Flying the flag for the Social Democrats is Cllr Elisa O'Donovan, and Cllr Sarah Beasley is representing Aontu, both candidates having contested the mayoral election.

Independent Ireland is running Esther Aherne from Patrickswell, who missed out on election to City West in the summer by a whisker.

Another candidate who missed out on a council seat, albeit in Cappamore/Kilmallock, is Glentworth Street solicitor Michelle Hayes, who is running as an Independent.

With the overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick always a hot topic, Melanie Sheehan Cleary is running on behalf of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign.

She is the mother of Eve Cleary, who died in 2019, aged just 21, only hours after being discharged from the hospital.

Elsewhere, city centre man Ruairi Fahy runs for People Before Profit and Moyross man Dean Quinn is contesting for the National Alliance. He ran in City North at the local elections as an Independent.

Candidate list:
Esther Aherne, Independent Ireland

Cllr Sarah Beasley, Aontu

Senator Maria Byrne, Fine Gael

Melanie Cleary, Mid-West Hospital Campaign

Cllr Frankie Daly, Independent

Ruairi Fahy, People Before Profit

Senator Paul Gavan, Sinn Fein

Michelle Hayes, Independent

Deputy Brian Leddin, Green Party

Deputy Willie O’Dea, Fianna Fail

Deputy Kieran O’Donnell, Fine Gael

Cllr Elisa O’Donovan, Social Democrats

Dee Ryan, Fianna Fail

Cllr Conor Sheehan, Labour

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, Sinn Fein

Dean Quinn, National Alliance