West Cork’s new faces and seasoned campaigners vie for victory

The division of West Cork into two electoral areas, Skibbereen and Bantry, would strongly appear to favour the two main political parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

A total of 23 candidates, including 11 from the two main parties, are in a contest for nine seats. However, the split-up of the municipal district into a five-seater and a four-seater may limit opportunities for many of the new candidates hoping to make a breakthrough.