Taoiseach Enda Kenny moved the writ last evening to hold the Meath East byelection on March 27th, opting for a swift vote instead of waiting until nearer a legal deadline to conduct the poll by the end of June.

The decision follows signals from Mr McEntee’s daughter Helen that she wants to contest the seat for Fine Gael. Ms McEntee, a politics graduate in her mid-20s, was personal assistant to her father in the Dáil.

Preparations are under way in Fine Gael to hold a convention tomorrow night in Navan, Co Meath, to nominate the party’s candidate.

Ms McEntee might yet be unopposed, although that remains unclear. The consensus in political circles, however, is that she is virtually certain to secure the nomination.

Personal vote

Although many in Fine Gael are counting on a strong personal vote in support of Ms McEntee, no sitting government has won a byelection since Fianna Fáil’s Noel Treacy took a seat in Galway East in 1982.

The byelection comes two years into Mr Kenny’s administration, with polls showing a rise in popularity for Fianna Fáil.

Public-sector pay cuts loom as well as the new property tax, weighing heavily on the Coalition in the wake of a harsh budget. However, Fine Gael and Labour have made much of a deal with the European Central Bank to reduce some of the banking debt burden.

The Fianna Fáil candidate is Senator Thomas Byrne, a former TD. He secured more than 7,800 first-preference votes in the 2007 general election but his vote dropped to 5,715 when Fianna Fáil’s support collapsed in the 2011 election.

Labour has yet to select a candidate but it is now rushing to prepare a convention, possibly before the end of this week. Labour councillor Eoin Holmes, who represents the Slane electoral area, is considered likely to seek the nomination. The other Labour councillor in the constituency, Niamh McGowan, has ruled herself out.

Sinn Féin’s candidate is Darren O’Rourke, who works in Leinster House.