Election 2024Constituency Profile

Limerick County constituency profile: Difficult to see any result other than the return of three incumbents

Election 2024: Pressure on services at University Hospital Limerick a big concern in the county

Limerick County Constituency map
Election 2024: In the Limerick County constituency it will be hard for Sinn Féin's Joanne Collins to dislodge any of the incumbents
Cormac McQuinn's picture
Cormac McQuinn
Thu Nov 07 2024 - 12:24

Outgoing TDs: Patrick O’Donovan (FG) Niall Collins (FF), Richard O’Donoghue (II)

Who are the candidates running in the Limerick County constituency? Deputy Patrick O’Donovan (FG), Deputy Niall Collins (FF), Deputy Richard O’Donoghue (II), Cllr Noreen Stokes (FG), Cllr Bridie Collins (FF), Joanne Collins (SF), Michael Ryan (Aon), Rob O’Donnell (GP), Gerben Uunk (PAW), Laura Fahy (PBP-Sol), Donna O’Loughlin (IFP), Lorraine O’Sullivan (Ind/NA)

The rural parts of Limerick are covered by this three-seater including the towns of Newcastle West, Kilmallock, Abbeyfeale, Rathkeale and Adare.

As in the city, the pressure on services at University Hospital Limerick is a big concern in the county. With 4,500 farm families in the constituency that includes part of the Golden Vale, supports for farmers is a big topic. Connectivity, including the long-proposed upgrade of the main road to Cork to motorway status, is also an issue.

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It is difficult to see any result other than the return of the three incumbent TDs. They are: Patrick O’Donovan, a Fine Gael Cabinet Minister with the higher education brief who topped the poll in 2020; Niall Collins, a Fianna Fáil Minister of State at the same department; and Richard O’Donoghue, now of the recently formed Independent Ireland party.

Both O’Donovan and Collins have councillor running mates – Noreen Stokes and Bridie Collins respectively. However, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil also ran two candidates each in 2020 and it is hard to see either party returning more than one TD this time around as well.

The outspoken O’Donoghue – whose background is as a self-employed building contractor and Fianna Fáil councillor – ran as an independent in 2020. He is an incumbent contesting the election under the banner of the Independent Ireland party and he will not yield his Dáil seat easily.

Sinn Féin fought hard for the third seat in Limerick County in the 2020 general election. Its candidate on that occasion, Séighin Ó Ceallaigh, was not too far behind O’Donoghue at the end of the count on what was a good day for his party nationally. This time around Joanne Collins, a special needs assistant, has been selected for Sinn Féin. She got 801 first preferences in the local election in June but did not get elected to the local authority. It will be a tall order for her to unseat one of the current TDs in the general election.

There is just one Limerick mayoral candidate in the race, Gerben Uunk of the Party for Animal Welfare. He came 13th out of the 15 candidates in that election.

Possible outcome: Fine Gael (1), Fianna Fáil (1), Independent Ireland (1)