DUBLIN Bay North will be one of the most fiercely contested constituencies in the country in General Election 2016.
Following the redrawing of the boundaries after the 2011 election, this new five-seat constituency is an amalgamation of the old Dublin North East and Dublin North Central constituencies which were both three-seaters.
Richard Bruton (FG), Tommy Broughan (Ind), Finian McGrath (Ind) Terence Flanagan (Renua) and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Lab) are the sitting TDs along with Sean Kenny (Lab) who is not running after announcing his retirement last year. The seats of Bruton, Broughan and McGrath would appear safe while Ó Ríordáin and Flanagan would seem to be the most vulnerable. Sinn Féin will have strong claims for taking a seat through either of its candidates, Cllr Mícheál Mac Donncha or Cllr Denise Mitchell, and will pick up the bulk of their votes in the working class areas of the constituency.
Cllr Sean Haughey will be bidding to reclaim the seat he lost in 2011 when Fianna Fáil imploded countrywide, while Senator Averil Power should also be strongly in contention. It will be interesting to see how her acrimonious departure from Fianna Fáil last year affects her vote.
Cllr Deirdre Heney is Fianna Fáil’s other candidate, and if she finishes ahead of Haughey, as she did in the party’s selection convention, she could do well on the back of his transfers.
Surprisingly, Fine Gael is fielding three candidates with Naoise Ó Muirí and Stephanie Regan hoping to take a second seat for the party after Bruton secures his place in the next Dáil.
Former Mayor of Fingal, Cian O’Callaghan, one of those who left the Labour Party since the last election, will carry the hopes of the Social Democrats while Anti Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit are running two candidates in John Lyons and Michael O’Brien. Both will be looking to mop up as much of the water protest vote as possible.
Donna Cooney, who contested the last election in Dublin North Central, is once again flying the flag for the Green Party.
The field is characterised by its large number of Independents (seven) with Jimmy Guerin, Paul Clarke, Damien O’Neill and Prionsias Ó Conaráin joining McGrath, Broughan and Power on the starting line.
Geography
The constituency stretches from Howth Head on the east to Donnycarney on the west, and from Darndale in the north down to Clontarf in the south.
Issues
Health, crime and housing are just some of the issues in this constituency with the Beaumont A&E expected to feature strongly on the doorsteps.