FF attempts to maintain majority on Clare council

In a county steeped in the Fianna Fail tradition, electing its founder, Mr Eamon de Valera as MP in 1917, it comes as no surprise that the party has controlled Clare County Council affairs for almost 70 years.

Will the Fianna Fail monopoly dating back to the 1934 elections continue after June 11th? It is difficult to say because of the new electoral boundaries and it being the first council elections since 1991.

In the 1991 election, Fianna Fail clinched the majority, securing 17 seats.

In the intervening eight years the party, taking advantage of its majority, increased its total by a further two by co-opting two members in seats vacated by two Fine Gael members.

On a recent visit to Co Clare, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said: "It's very important for democracy itself that the majority is broken".

However, a Fianna Fail activist said at the weekend that the worst-case scenario for the party was a 16-16 outcome.

He lamented, however, the absence of any female Fianna Fail candidates and the age profile, where the majority of candidates were over 50, commenting that it did not augur well for the future.

It is expected the final seats in the Kilrush, Ennistymon, Killaloe and Ennis areas will decide if Fianna Fail's 65-year hold on the council can be broken.

In its favour, Fianna Fail is expected to have four poll-toppers in the six electoral areas, which may swing the balance of power towards it.

The seven-seat Kilrush area is the scene for one of the election's fiercest battles. At the weekend one activist claimed there was "outright hostility" between the camps of two Fianna Fail candidates, Cllr Patrick Keane and Mr Sean Keating.

Cllr Keane pipped Mr Keating for the last seat by 12 votes in 1991.

The intense battle between the two may harm Fianna Fail's chances of securing a fifth seat. If that seat is secured it points to a Fianna Fail majority.

A search for new faces in the council points to Fianna Fail's Mr Pat Daly, Fine Gael's Mr Bill Slattery, Mr Brian Meaney of the Green Party and possibly Sinn Fein's Mr Mike McKee, while Mr Joe Carey, son of the sitting Fine Gael TD, Donal is expected to be in contention for one of the last seats in the Ennis area.

Fianna Fail looks certain to retain at least 16 council seats.

A fascinating finale is promised as the final seats are decided, to see if Fianna Fail can maintain its supremacy.