1997: FF 38.95%; FG 38.58%; Lab 17.08%; GP 1.68%; DL 2.61%; Others 1.11%.Outgoing TDs: Hugh Byrne and John Browne (FF), Ivan Yates and Michael D'Arcy (FG), Brendan Howlin (Lab).
Can Fianna Fáil's third candidate, the Wexford hurling manager, Tony Dempsey, join his colleagues, Hugh Byrne and John Browne, in the Dáil? Could he replace one of them? A comparison between his first preferences and those of Byrne's could be telling. Fine Gael's hold on two seats here is under threat following Ivan Yates's decision to quit politics. Will the return to domestic politics of FG MEP Avril Doyle succeed? The first-preferences collected by her running-mate, outgoing Gorey-based TD Michael D'Arcy, will indicate whether, as expected, he is the one most at risk. Labour's Brendan Howlin will be hoping that a poor showing in a late opinion poll was just an aberration.