Only three seats up for grabs in Kildare South's general election race

Kildare South constituency profile

Following changes recommended by the electoral commission the constituency loses some territory to Kildare North and will also give up some areas to Laois and Offaly. 

This could have an impact on former army officer Cathal Berry, who was elected for the first time to Kildare South in 2020. Dep Berry garnered more than 5,700 first preference votes and was elected on the eighth count.

Although Kildare South comes with four seats former Fianna Fáil TD Sean O Fearghail is automatically returned because he was the Ceann Comhairle.

It's estimated that the boundary changes could mean the loss of 2,000 votes in the Portarlington area and Dep Berry would likely have received very many of these.

Kildare South currently has a population of 125,979 but some of these voters, roughly speaking in the greater Naas area, have been moved to Kildare North.

Another potentially interesting point is where the votes of independent candidate Fiona McLoughlin Healy will go. 

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Dep Berry got nearly 1,400 transfers from Newbridge-based McLoughlin-Healy, who was a poll topping councillor in 2019. While her intentions are not clear, Ms McLoughlin Healy was a sitting councillor on Kildare County Council but did not run in the local elections which took place in June.

Outgoing Sinn Féin TD Dep Patricia Ryan has said that she will not be running for the party in this poll after making allegations concerning oversight within the party and the way in which questions could be asked of the party hierarchy.

Dep Ryan was something of a surprise packet and although she had been a councillor in Kildare, few expected her to top the poll in 2020. In the event, she hoovered up almost 10,200 first preferences, which was some 2,000 votes ahead of Fine Gael standard bearer and Minister of State Martin Heydon.

In the end she was elected on the sixth count with Dep Heydon and Dep Berry being elected two counts later .Neither Deputy Berry nor Deputy Heydon actually reached the quota.

With no party backing to help her, Dep Ryan may struggle on this occasion and Deputy Martin Heydon is likely to top the poll.

Outgoing TDs Patricia Ryan (SF), Martin Heydon (FG), Cathal Berry (Ind), Sean O Fearghail

(FF) Ceann Comhairle automatically reelected.

Fianna Fail have opted to run just one candidate Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, a former TD representing the constituency and a former councillor. 

Sen O’Loughlin had a running mate on the last occasion and remained in the race until the bitter end losing out by 500 votes to Cathal Berry and she must fancy her chances of a Dáil return. 

Sen Mark Wall, son of former Kildare South TD Jack, is Labour’s standard bearer. Wall got marginally fewer first preferences than O’Loughlin (5,899 to 5,927) last time and there was little to separate them for much of the count until O'Loughlin's running mate, Cllr Suzanne Doyle was eliminated. He could benefit form SF votes that would otherwise go to Ryan.

Sinn Féin have selected Shona Ni Raghallaigh to represent the party and she will be the dark horse. 

Mr Ní Raghallaigh was elected to Kildare County Council from the Kildare town area for the first time in June and is SF’s only councillor in Kildare.