Number of seats: 4
It gets an extra seat this time and therefore the three outdoing TDs should be safe: Bernard Durcan (FG), Emmet Stagg (Lab) and Catherine Murphy (Ind). There is a chance that Fianna Fail could take two seats here with Áine Brady and Michael Fitzpatrick.
Prediction: FF 1; FG 1; Lab 1; Ind 1.
Best candidate: Catherine Murphy (Ind)
Weakest link: Áine Brady
In the long grass: Shane FitzGerald (GP)
Number of seats: 3
Alan Dukes lost the Fine Gael seat here in 2002 and the issue is can this be recovered? Former MEP Alan Gillis has been drafted in and it is possible Fianna Fail could drop a seat. Labour is secure.
Prediction: FF 1; FG 1; Lab 1.
Best candidate: Alan Gillis (FG)
Weakest link: Sean O'Fearghaill (FF)
In the long grass: John Dardis (PD)
Number of seats: 5
Fine Gael's Charlie Flanagan should recover the seat he lost in 2002. Whether this is at the expense of Tom Parlon (PD) or Sean Fleming (FF) is not clear. Olwyn Enright (FG) not certain of her seat either.
Prediction: FF 3; FG 2.
Best candidate: Olwyn Enright (FG)
Weakest ling: Tom Parlon (PD)
In the long grass: Charlie Flanagan (FG)
Number of seats: 5
Fianna Fail certain of two sets with Willie O'Dea and Peter Power. Jan O'Sullivan (Lab) and Michael Noonan (FG) also secure. Tom O'Malley (PD) likely to lose his seat to Kieran O'Donnell (FG).
Prediction: FF2; FG 2; Lab 1.
Best candidate: Jan O'Sullivan (Lab)
Weakest link: Tim O'Malley (PD)
In the long grass: Kieran O'Donnell (FG).
Number of seats: 3
Fianna Fail have held two seats here forever, aside from 1987 when the PDs took one of these seats and 1997, when Fine Gael won two. PDs and Fine Gael again challenging Fianna Fail here for the last seat.
Prediction: FF 2; FG1.
Best candidate: Dan Neville (FG)
Weakest link: Niall Collins (FF)
In the long grass: Michael Brennan (PD)
Number of seats: 4
A new constituency. Willie Penrose (Lab) certain. Mary O'Rourke (FF) likely to regain the seat she lost in 2002 and Peter Kelly (FF) likely to retain his. Donie Cassidy (FF) in trouble. Mae Sexton (PD) certain to lose out.
Prediction: FF 2; FG 1; Lab 1.
Best candidate: Mary O'Rourke (FF)
Weakest link: Mae Sexton (PD)
In the long grass: Donie Cassidy (FF)
Number of seats: 4
Several seats in danger here: Arthur Morgan (SF), Seamus Kirk (FF), Fergus O'Dowd (FG), the later from the “imposition” of Mairead McGuinness (FG). Only Dermot Ahern (FF) secure.
Prediction: FF 1; FG 2; SF 1.
Best candidate: Arthur Morgan (SF)
Weakest link: Seamus Kirk (FF)
In the long grass: Jim D'Arcy (FG)
Number of seats: 5
Fine Gael has effectively given up on regaining third seat in the constituency of its current leader, Edna Kenny. The two Independent TD, Beverly Flynn and Jerry Crowley are in jeopardy, but Beverly should hold on.
Prediction: FF 2; FG 2; Ind 1
Best candidate: Beverly Flynn (Ind)
Weakest link: John Carty (FF)
In the long grass: Dara Calleary (FF)
Number of seats: 3
A new constituency. Fianna Fail will take one seat, Fine Gael another (Shane McEntee) and Labour (Dominic Hannigan) the third. The Greens could have done well here had they established a presence early enough.
Prediction: FF 1; FG 1; Lab 1.
Best candidate: Dominic Hannigan (Lab)
Weakest link: Mary Wallace (FF)
In the long grass: Thomas Byrne (FF)
Number of seats: 3
If there is a collapse in the Fianna Fail vote, Joe Reilly (SF) could take a seat here with Johnny Brady (FF) losing out. The Meath footballer, Graham Geraghty (FG) might be in with a chance too.
Prediction: FF 2; FG 1.
Best candidate: Noel Dempsey (FF)
Weakest link: Johnny Brady (FF)
In the long grass: Joe Reilly (SF)