I canvassed a bit last week and I’ll do a bit more this week. I was out with friends for a friend: Juliet O’Connell, of the Labour Party, who’s running in Dún Laoghaire.

The party has not been forgiven for the austerity measures of its coalition with Fine Gael and will struggle to hold its seven seats.

A widow yesterday saw the final chapter close on a tragic night over 27 years ago when she witnessed her then 17-year-old only daughter die from an asthma attack after being rushed to a Limerick hospital.