IT'S all over bar the shouting say the locals in Cork South West, a constituency where the only change in recent general elections has been which of the three sitting deputies tops the poll.
According to a seasoned political observer in the area, "it would take gelignite to shift" Jim O'Keeffe and P.J. Sheehan of Fine Gael, and Joe Walsh of Fianna Fail.
Geographically the largest constituency in the country, incorporating three peninsulas and seven islands, it usually remains on moved by national opinions and trends.
Mr O'Keeffe is celebrating 20 years in the Dail and Mr Walsh just short of it as he was ousted by the late Flor Crowley in 1981 for nine months. Mr Sheehan has been a Dail deputy since 1981. The three are perfectly placed geographically - Mr Sheehan in the west, Mr Walsh in the centre and Mr O'Keeffe in the east - and they are on friendly terms.
In an attempt to get a second candidate, Fianna Fail is reported to have approached up to 15 people, including various members of the late Flor Crowley's family; Rory O'Callaghan, the eldest son of former party senator Vivian O'Callaghan; the son of the former Labour TD, Michael Pat Murphy, who is a brother in law of Fianna Fail's John O'Donoghue; and Cork footballer Niall Cahalane.
Eventually, Denis O'Donovan, a Bantry based solicitor, agreed to run again after a deal was apparently struck involving campaign expenses and a possible Senate seat. It is his third general election campaign.
But there are traditional divisions in the party here which go back a long way and they do not pull together well to bring in the second candidate. It was a five seater constituency until 1948 and since then Fianna Fail has never won a second seat.
The party does have a strong farming vote. However, not much was done for the area during the last administration.
Fine Gael support is deep rooted, not forgetting the Michael Collins connection. The party's superior organisation in the constituency, and last year's decision to pay particular attention to Mr O'Keeffe, when it was thought Fianna Fail might target his seat, should pay dividends. He is expected to top the poll this time.
The Labour Party held a seat here from the foundation of the State until 1981 when Michael Pat Mushy was defeated. Labour transfers have traditionally favoured Fine Gael.
Under the rainbow coalition, there have been several developments in the constituency. The major towns were targeted, including the extension of the national gas pipeline to Bandon, the recently announced third level outreach campus in Skibbereen, the £18 million investment into the Whiddy Oil terminal in Bantry, and including Clonakilty in the coastal resorts scheme.
However, the western end of the constituency has been one of the areas worst affected by emigration and full time employment in industry, rather than seasonal based tourism jobs, is hard to come by.
It would have been of particular concern to Fianna Fail's Joe Walsh if a member of the Crowley family, based in Bandon, had decided to run. The candidacy of Denis O'Donovan is a much safer option for him. Mr O'Donovan peaked in 1989 with around 6,000 votes and went down in the last election, but his supporters believe he will do better this time around.
P.J. Sheehan is a "a man of the people" who knows the importance of attending a funeral. His attention to rural matters is legendary, and the phrase "the boys in Dublin are taking care of it" is frequently heard.
The two biggest parties usually pull in around 80 per cent of the vote. Labour candidate Michael Calnan polled 11 per cent in 1992, so the other parties are left with small pickings.
Paula Giles of the Green Party is not expected to have much impact. Aine Ni Chonaill (Ind) is a secondary school teacher whose platform is "controlling the ongoing flood of immigrants into Ireland". She believes that multiculturalism is "one of the greatest heresies of the 20th century".