Voters go to the polls on Friday in the biggest test for parties ahead of the General Election. Politicians from all sides will be battling to win seats in Dublin Mid-West, Dublin Fingal, Cork North-Central and Wexford to fill vacancies following the departure of Frances Fitzgerald , Clare Daly , Billy Kelleher and Mick Wallace . The four big names won seats in the European Parliament in May.
Lie of the land This is a constituency which is about to change dramatically - with an estimated 20,000 people set to move into a new town, Clonburris, and follow in the footsteps of Adamstown. Older town centres in the constituency are Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Saggart and Rathcoole. The population is around 110,000.
Likely to be elected The front runners are Councillor Emer Higgins of Fine Gael; former Green Party TD but now Independent Councillor Paul Gogarty; and Sinn Féin Councillor Mark Ward. All three topped their wards in the Local Elections in May. Another determining factor will be where the votes of sitting People Before Profit TD Gino Gallagher go. Kellie Sweeney, a nurse, is campaigning hard for the party. However, it will be difficult to get her message across, given the crowded field on the left. Two candidates expected to poll well would be former Labour TD and now Councillor Joanna Tuffy, and the Social Democrats big hope Anne-Marie McNally - who came fifth in the 2016 general election battle with more than 2,600 votes.
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