IN theory, Déirdre de Búrca’s decision to run in Dublin in last year’s European elections shouldn’t have caused much of a stir, given that she had grown up in Loughlinstown.

THE person most likely to be the next EU Agriculture Commissioner has said he favours changing the single farm payment regime, away from the historic-based payment system used in Ireland.

SOME 50,000 people are expected to attend Tullamore Show, which will be held on a new site at Bluebell, three kilometres from the Co Offaly town.

Sinn Féin has hit a glass ceiling in Irish politics and this is one of the most interesting examples of how Irish voters do not like extremes. Sinn Féin should have made hay in these polls, given the collapse in Fianna Fáil’s support. Instead, it has lost its only European seat and has failed to add anything to its list of local councillors

MORE than 70,000 people spoilt their vote in last Friday’s local, European and by-elections.

LABOUR celebrated another major victory in the European and local elections after Nessa Childers won a seat for the party in the Ireland East constituency for the first time in 30 years.

POLL-TOPPING Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness will not run in the next Dáil elections but may consider mounting a bid to replace President Mary McAleese when her term ends in two years’ time.

Nessa Childers (Labour) and Liam Aylward (Fianna Fáil) have been elected on seventh count at East constituency of the European elections this evening.

Nessa Childers is still in the lead after the third count in the Ireland East constituency to win a European Parliament seat for Labour.

It's expected Labour and Fianna Fail will take the second and third seats in Ireland East.

Turnout in the local and European elections could be as high as the general election two years ago, it emerged tonight.

The nation goes to the polls today – dubbed “Super Friday” – to elect two TDs, 12 MEPs and 1,627 councillors.

FIANNA FÁIL was last night bracing itself to lose up to 100 council seats and see its Euro tally dive to just two as it faced a meltdown in support.

A new Irish Times MRBI/TNS opinion poll published today suggests that Fine Gael is likely to lose a seat in Ireland East in next week's European elections.

FIANNA Fáil is at real risk of losing its European Parliament seat in Dublin in what would be a devastating personal blow to Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

ORGANISING the armies, positioning foot-soldiers and deciding who is deployed to which battleground will keep much put-upon directors of elections sleepless for the next week.

LABOUR leader Eamon Gilmore fired back at outgoing Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle yesterday after she questioned the credentials of one of his party’s European election candidates.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is back in the firing line, with the opposition parties using growing support to undermine his Fianna Fáil-led coalition.

The Green Party today denied it was jumping from a sinking ship as support for Government continued to plummet in opinion polls.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen today insisted morale in his party was good despite a slump in recent opinion polls.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he is confident his party can retain its two seats in Ireland East in the upcoming European elections.

BOTH main parties are in danger of losing a seat in the Euro polls as Labour is set for a surge, it emerged last night.

POLICIES that must be promoted at European Union level to protect the incomes of farm families will be identified by the Irish Farmers Association at a series of public meetings next week.

FIANNA Fáil European election candidate Ned O’Keeffe has denied rumours that he is rowing with his running mate, sitting MEP Brian Crowley.

The Labour Party has officially launched its campaign for the European elections in Dublin today.

Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness has been formally nominated to re-run for her Ireland East seat in this summer's European Parliament elections.

THE Green Party has conceded high-profile senator Deirdre de Burca was parachuted into Dublin’s European election fight to capitalise on her colleague’s supporters rather than her own.

Avril Doyle reflects on her political career with our Europe Correspondent Ann Cahill.

Sinn Féin has announced a series of changes to promote more southerners to leadership roles.

Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle says she will not be seeking to retain her seat in June's European elections.

LABOUR stunned the Green party last night by poaching one of its more high-profile members to run for the European elections next year.

OLD tyres dumped in the countryside are becoming a burning issue for human and animal health protection, says an MEP.

FINE Gael was last night facing a bruising election battle in Louth as MEP Máiréad McGuinness moved to contest the Dáil seat for the party.

The Government is to spend an additional €5m on marketing initiatives to promote tourism in the regions.

Unlike yesterday in the locals, Sinn Féin and the independents will not be making all the runnings for the European Parliament seats in Ireland East.

The counting of votes in the local and European elections is continuing around the country.