The one certainty is that Eamon O’Cuiv’s seat could be the safest in Ireland — even though politicians hate hearing that.

Make no mistake — despite having 15 candidates to choose from due to the merger of two former Kerry constituencies into one, three of the five seats on offer in this sprawling area are already effectively decided.

On foot of the last Boundary Commission, Cork North Central gained 11 electoral divisions and a population of 17,307 from Cork South Central. It also lost four electoral divisions with a population of 5,048 to Cork North West, and it remains a four-seat constituency.

Many constituencies are likely to see upheavals due to boundary changes, seat reductions and a shift in voter preferences.

Fianna Fáil were trounced here in 2011, their vote slumping from 47.7% to 28.1%.

It took three days and 19 rounds of counting to elect five Wicklow TDs in 2011.