Fine Gael has lost further support according to a poll conducted by Red C for the Irish Sun.

Fine Gael has dropped two points to 26 per cent, compared to the last poll conducted by the company for the Sunday Business Post last week.

Fianna Fáil has gained one point to 19 per cent, Labour is up one on 9 per cent, Sinn Féin has dropped three to 17 per cent and smaller parties and Independents have gained four to 29 per cent.

The breakdown of the 29 per cent figure reveals Independents on 18 per cent; the Green Party on 4 per cent; Social Democrats on 3 per cent; Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit on 2 per cent and Renua on 2 per cent.

Healy-Raes

The only silver lining for Fine Gael in the poll is that Fianna Fáil has not picked up significantly with the gains being made by Independents and smaller parties while Sinn Féin support has dropped.

A constituency poll in Kerry conducted by Ipsos-MRBI for TG4 confirmed the substantial shift to Independents who had the support of 39 per cent of voters in the county followed by Fine Gael on 27 per cent, Fianna Fáil on 16 per cent, Labour on 8 per cent, Sinn Féin on 7 per cent and others on 3 per cent.

If repeated on polling day it would mean the two Healy-Rae brothers elected to Dáil Éireann along with the two sitting Fine Gael TDs and a Fianna Fáil TD. The big losers in Kerry would be Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris and Labour TD Arthur Spring.