Fine Gael’s old base just isn’t enough

ONCE a Fine Gael stronghold, the party’s presence in north Kerry looks to have waned considerably in recent years.

Back in 2016, Jimmy Deenihan, the then outgoing Minister for the Diaspora – who hails from nearby Finuge – picked up 963 votes in Listowel town.

Four years later, his successor as Fine Gael’s north-Kerry based candidate, Cllr Mike Kennelly, managed to hold onto a significant portion of that vote, coming away with 832 votes in Listowel, a drop of 14 per cent on Deenihan’s total.

Given that Jimmy Deenihan lost his seat in 2016 – one he had held since 1987 – Cllr Kennelly’s lesser showing, in his hometown, suggests that he never had a realistic of a chance of taking a second seat for Fine Gael.

It wasn’t his Fine Gael running mate Tourism

Minister Brendan Griffin that those votes went to either.

While Griffin’s vote was up by over 622 votes across the constituency, he only picked up an additional 22 of those votes in Listowel town.

Meanwhile Fianna Fáil’s north Kerry-based candidate John Brassil from Ballyheigue also fared badly in Listowel, picking up just 220 votes in the town, a drop of almost 60 per cent on the 513 votes he picked up there in 2016.

His Tralee-based running mate, Norma Foley, won only slightly fewer Listowel town votes taking 201 first preferences.

As was the case across the county, the main beneficiary of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil woes were Sinn Féin. Pa Daly took 1,080 votes in Listowel, a significant jump on Martin Ferris 729 tally in 2016.