CONSTITUENCY PROFILE: KERRY NORTH-WEST LIMERICK:FAMILY CONNECTIONS loom large in this new constituency straddling two counties.
The Spring dynasty, stretching back to the 1940s, is attempting a Dáil comeback for Labour, while the McEllistrim dynasty, which goes back to the State’s foundation, is battling to survive in the face of Fianna Fáil’s dwindling electoral fortunes.
Arthur Spring, nephew of former Labour leader and tánaiste Dick, and grandson of Labour TD and junior minister Dan Spring, has launched a major offensive to win back the seat his uncle unexpectedly lost in 2002.
Tom McEllistrim’s father and grandfather, both also named Tom, had long Dáil careers. His grandfather, as a party elder statesman, proposed Jack Lynch for the Fianna Fáil leadership in 1966, while his father was among the group of TDs who plotted Charlie Haughey’s election as leader in 1979.
“Irish voters have shown an incredible loyalty to many political families and political dynasties,” says Owen O’Shea in his new book Heirs to the Kingdom, published next week by the O’Brien Press.
O'Shea, a journalist with Kerry's Eye, notes family-based loyalty is sometimes conditional, however, and not all dynasties can be accommodated at the same time.
This pattern seems set to resurrect itself in this election.
As of now, locally, Spring is tipped for a seat at the expense of McEllistrim. But predicting the outcome of the three-seater is complicated by the revision of the constituency to include west Limerick.
In Kerry, it stretches from the Shannon estuary to the Slieve Mish mountains, taking in towns such as Tralee and Listowel, while the Limerick area includes Abbeyfeale, Athea, Glin, Mountcollins and Templeglantine.
West Limerick was always mainly Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael territory, but Spring, whose base is Tralee, will be building on the 2,277 first preferences secured there by Labour candidate James Heffernan in 2007.
The three outgoing TDs are McEllistrim, Fine Gael’s Jimmy Deenihan and Sinn Féin’s Martin Ferris.
Deenihan, a poll-topper last time, is considered a safe bet. A TD since 1987, a strong Enda Kenny supporter and member of the front bench, he is destined for ministerial office in the likely Fine Gael-Labour coalition. His running mate is Glin-based councillor John Sheahan. The remaining two seats will be a battle between Ferris, Spring and McEllistrim.
Ferris, a strong Dáil performer on issues relating to agriculture and the marine, polled 8,030 first preferences the last time. His solid local base will not easily be undermined.
In 2007, McEllistrim and his running mate, Norma Foley, polled over 31 per cent of the vote. But Fianna Fáil’s fortunes are very different this time, as was recognised by party headquarters when a decision was made to run McEllistrim on his own.
McEllistrim largely shuns the media, relying on contact with his constituents. A wily grassroots politician, who can never be underestimated, it remains to be seen if his formula for electoral success works in the face of Fianna Fáil’s dramatic decline in the polls.
Spring, a former bank executive, runs a juice bar in Tralee, where he is currently mayor.
How he will do outside his Tralee stronghold will be a determining factor in the final result.
There are two Independent candidates, GP Bridget O’Brien and nurse and lecturer Mary Fitzgibbon.
KERRY NORTH-WEST LIMERICK: 3 SEATS
OUTGOING TDs:Jimmy Deenihan (FG), Tom McEllistrim (FF), Martin Ferris (SF)
DECLARED CANDIDATES:Jimmy Deenihan (FG), John Sheahan (FG), Tom McEllistrim (FF), Martin Ferris (SF), Arthur Spring (Lab), Bridget O'Brien (Ind), Mary Fitzgibbon (Ind)
LOCAL ISSUES:Jobs are a key issue throughout the constituency, particularly in towns like Tralee, Listowel and Abbeyfeale. Failure to open the new community hospital in Tralee, as well as the maintenance of services at Kerry General Hospital, are also exercising the minds of voters. There is pressure to ensure that the go-ahead is given for the proposed €5 billion global pharmaceutical centre for excellence in Tralee to provide a major employment and economic boost for the constituency.
VERDICT: FG 1 SF 1 Labour 1
