Dublin North West is one of the key constituencies for Fianna Fáil in the capital, as it battles to retain its 21 Dublin TDs in the face of an assault on all sides from Opposition parties.
Fianna Fáil holds two of the three seats in the constituency, and one of those seats is particularly at risk from growing support for Sinn Féin. Should Fianna Fáil hold on to the two seats, it would be due to the strength of its candidates in the local arena.
As a constituency, Dublin North West is a much different proposition for politicians compared with 25 years ago, when it had some of the worst pockets of poverty in the country, high levels of drug abuse and associated problems of crime and vandalism.
Those problem areas have undergone or are in the process of undergoing wholesale urban regeneration. Finglas and Ballymun by and large contain very settled communities, with many residents at retirement age or older.
Dublin North West has also undergone a significant population increase of 7 per cent in the last five years, driven largely by new apartment and townhouse developments close to the edge of the constituency along the rim of the M50.
With such a mix, there is no single issue dominating the campaign. Local issues, from mobile phone masts to speed bumps, are to the fore.
Poor transport features as an issue on the fringes of the constituency, and there is also a campaign to realign the proposed metro route. Access to health services is also mentioned.
Only one seat, that of Fianna Fáil's Minister of State and brother of the Taoiseach Noel Ahern, is considered safe, with an extremely close contest likely between Fianna Fáil, Labour and Sinn Féin for the final two seats.
Dublin North West is a crucial constituency for Sinn Féin, and one of its primary targets for a seat gain. In 2002 its candidate. the former IRA prisoner Dessie Ellis, was third on the first count, but lost out on a seat due to a lack of transfers. He will hope to increase his personal vote to close to a quota in order to avoid a similar fate.
On paper it should be sitting Labour TD Róisín Shortall whose seat is at greatest risk. She was behind Sinn Féin on the first count in 2002, and owed her election to transfers from Fine Gael. However, a good local profile and a stronger campaign by Labour this time round suggests her seat should be in less danger.
Fianna Fáil has enjoyed considerable success in this constituency in the last decade. In 1997 Noel Ahern and Pat Carey took two of the four seats here, which led to sitting Fine Gael TD Mary Flaherty losing her seat.
In 2002, after the constituency was reorganised and reduced to three seats, Ahern and Carey held on to their seats, polling 1.9 quotas between them, with Ahern topping the poll.
To repeat this feat will be a much greater challenge in 2007, and Carey's seat is therefore seen as highly vulnerable. However, what should not be discounted is the strength of Carey's record as a local TD.
In all, the election in Dublin North West is likely to come down to the transfers of Fine Gael candidate Dr Bill Tormey, a former Independent politician and Labour Party member. Although he enjoys a relatively high profile in the constituency, Tormey is not expected to poll ahead of Shortall, and should be eliminated before her. The Fine Gael/Labour pact should therefore see Shortall safe.
This means that Carey would have to poll significantly ahead of Ellis to stand a chance of retaining his sea. It would require Carey to garner a personal vote well above that of his party's, a challenge he may find impossible to meet.
Anti-social behaviour is one of the only issues that is common across the constituency. Health services also feature, especially in areas with a higher proportion of older residents. Like most urban areas, there are specific local planning cases in some neighbourhoods, but the issue of the proposed Ikea furniture superstore is not one that has prompted any significant local opposition. Public transport features in some areas, while in neighbourhoods closer to the city centre there is a campaign to reroute the proposed metro over fears about the potential damage to properties from underground tunnelling.