Council area profile/Cavan: Cavan's politicians must be the envy of their counterparts in other parts of the country - their main gripe so far is how "boring" the county council campaign has been.
A combination of strong incumbents, a small field of candidates and a good local economy means there are likely to be few surprises come June 11th.
Indeed the only major political question is whether Fianna Fáil retains its one-seat majority on the council. Fianna Fáil remains confident, but good performances by Sinn Féin or Fine Gael in two key electoral areas could upset this.
One thing in the party's favour is that there are few, if any, local issues. In 1991 the potholed state of Cavan's roads had become a national joke, and saw four roads candidates elected. Sustained investment has seen this problem dissipate.
One current issue is the ongoing crisis at Cavan general hospital but it is seen as a management problem as opposed to a political one, and is not expected to affect voting decisions.
Parts of county Cavan have undergone huge change since the late 1990s. Ten years ago the county was a deeply rural region, where agriculture was by far the single most important sector.
While there has always been a division between the rural west of the county and the more developed east, it has become even more pronounced.
The east of the county around the town of Virginia is now effectively a satellite town of Dublin. Many new homes built in recent years house commuter families, attracted by cheaper prices and the promise of a better quality of life. Education, roads and transport infrastructure are big issues for the new arrivals.
Farming and development issues remain prominent in the west of the county, which stretches up to the source of the Shannon near Lough Allen. In 1999 Fianna Fáil took over 45 per cent of the vote and 13 seats on the 25-seat council. Fine Gael took nine seats, while Sinn Féin had a breakthrough year, taking two seats on the council. The remaining place went to incumbent Independent, Mr Winston Turner, in the Bailieborough area.
Fine Gael is looking for gains, and is targeting the electoral areas of Cavan and Bailieborough. The party is fielding four candidates in the seven-seat Cavan electoral area, where the party currently holds three seats.
In Bailieborough it is fielding five candidates in a bid to increase its position by one seat to three. Newcomers Ms Margaret O'Reilly and Mr Fred Kettle are strong contenders to take an extra seat. Fianna Fáil is running five candidates, including all four incumbents, and will face a tough battle to retain all four seats. Mr Turner, who polled just over half a quota in first preferences in 1999, could also be vulnerable, if Fine Gael implements a good vote-management strategy.
In the Cavan area Fianna Fáil is mounting a strong defence to hold on to its four seats. One of its five candidates is Mr Ray Carolan, a former Cavan GAA captain, who is expected to gain a strong personal vote.
Sinn Féin's incumbents are thought to be safe. Mr Charlie Boylan has a strong personal vote in Cavan, while Ms Pauline Tully-McAuley, who last year married Pearse McAuley, convicted of the manslaughter of Det Garda Jerry McCabe, is expected to hold her seat in Ballyjamesduff.