The 2024 General Election in Kerry

You’d be thinking the two Healy Raes are safe , Norma Foley will also be a dead cert , there’s enough rich people to vote in whoever Fine Gael have even a footballer like Billy O se , Pa Daly is probably the most capable of the present TDs so that’s the 5 that should make it …..

Michelle Keane is some dose.

Michael Healy Rae, Norma Foley and Pa Daly should be safe. Danny should get in on Michael's surplus or when the various other indos are eliminated but he's the weaker link.

Billy O'Shea might be the one to watch. Many of the grassroots FG were not happy with the imposition of a candidate who had never stood for election before, despite being asked repeatedly. He didn't impress me on Radio Kerry this morning - seemed to just trot out the briefing notes he was given. Then the attitude of Sean Kelly and some others of "well, he's the only FG candidate so you'll just have to support him" rubbed people the wrong way. I think Cahill might run him close and it will depend on the eliminations of Labour, the Greens, Independent Ireland etc.

Well if he had pulled 8 more votes he would have got in to county council ,i was surprised by his strong vote but it shows name recognisation is so important for election ,he has independent Ireland behind him now so he will get a strong vote and just might maybe be fighting for last seat with DHR & FG canidate,people have said he got as much done as a lot of the rest of them when a previous TD but is not able to articulate himself enough.

Yeah, I just thought it was strange given that FF are running 3 candidates and 2 for SF. Presumably Brendan Griffin would have walked in if he was running so I think there is strong FG support but I don't know anything about Billy O'Shea. Mike Kennelly isn't running this year either, he would have picked up a lot of North Kerry votes you'd imagine.

Listening to the debates on Kerry Today, Cian Prendeville of People Before Profit is a real charismatic speaker ,a pity he is not representing a main stream party because he would be a great representative for this county if elected.

Historically many in Kerry have strong Republican views with a large anti treaty side during the civil war and events like the Ballyseedy massacre during that time leading to long memories particularly in Tralee & North Kerry and people like Martin Ferris carried on the fight in recent times .
Fine Gael have done little for the people of Kerry who suffered badly with emigration for decades and footballers like Jimmy Deenihan and now Billy O Se wouldn’t be up to much politically bar giving out a few lotto grants and standing in for a couple of pictures .

Reunification under FG, in their current guise, would have us singing GSTK and rejoining the Commonwealth

Leo wanted a united ireland but said the time was not right yet. Its unlikely that there would be a significant majority in favour of it by the end the next govt term.

Taking on the north is one expensive project and our economy is about to be hit by Trump's america, in a way we have not seen in decades.

A selfish way of looking at a United ireland , the people of the 6 counties should be looked after whatever it costs , the EU gave a lot of money to the German unification fund and I’m sure similar will be given in the event of a united ireland .

Are Kerry voters not embarrassed when Healy Rae says gems like 'god controls the climate' ?

With the last 30 years none of the government parties furthered the demands after the lobbying for dredging the mouth of the River Feale .The river is just outside Denihans door ,he is just a joke

I can not see why you should dismiss Mcellstrim off hand,he has a big name recognisation plus Independent Ireland are offering people an alternative to vote for who may be involved in government.

Not an FG fan but I think Jimmy Deenihan can take some credit for the progressing of Tralee by-pass and the investment in opening up Killarney House and Gardens, both of which have brought benefits to the county.

The drop to 5 seats in 2016 changed things in Kerry. Danny Healy-Rae was a last minute candidate that time, when Tom Fleming (Independent but ex-FF) wasn't going again and Labour didn't run any candidate in Killarney/East Kerry.

I'm surprised by this, I would have had Pa Daly slightly higher but Billy O Shea much lower

They may be the most popular party, but they haven't a hope of keeping the same number of seats, let alone increase them, given the exodus of sitting TD's from politics.

Some surprising numbers on the first preference Vs 2020

MHR : +1778
DHR : -60
Daly : -4086
Foley: +3446

Im surprised that MHR's vote has held up so well and thought Daly wouldn't have lost as much as he did. With Gordon-Kelleher now eliminated, it should bring Norma and Cahill enough I think

There's no doubt that FG screwed things up choosing that candidate. I don't know if they approached any sitting FG councillors to get one of them to stand, as at least they would have had a political track record. As far as Kerry's concerned it's fortunate that the biggest party has the biggest representation in the county.

Edit.

It seems from this later report that FG councillors were ignored.

Kerry Fine Gael councillor blasts party’s election strategy | RadioKerry.ie | RadioKerry.ie

3 in government and 1 in both government and opposition, even better.