Families in north Kerry have strongly signalled they intend to continue this year cutting turf on what is now a preserved bog.

A former Fianna Fáil TD has denied any wrongdoing by using prepaid Oireachtas envelopes to send out notices of local party meetings.

With two Kerry constituencies merging and the loss of one seat, all eyes will be on the fallen Fianna Fáil, writes Donal Hickey

THE number of TDs in the next Dáil will be chopped from 166 to 158 as part of a fundamental overhaul of constituencies.

The first of the official counts in the Presidency are being declared this evening with Michael D Higgins is now certain to be elected the ninth President of Ireland.

AETNA, an American health benefits and insurance multi-national, has confirmed its facility in Castleisland, Co Kerry, is to close with the loss of 104 jobs.

LIMERICK Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins has launched a campaign to have all of west Limerick brought back into the new Limerick (county) constituency.

DESPITE winning an almost identical first preference share to the Spring Tide of 1992, the Labour Party has made a far more forceful breakthrough this time.

A MEMBER of one of Kerry’s old political dynasties, outgoing FF TD Tom McEllistrim, lost his seat to a member of the Spring dynasty, Arthur John Spring in Kerry North/West Limerick.

THERE is considerable interest around the personalities in Kerry in the forthcoming election. Will John O’Donoghue get re-elected, will Michael Healy-Rae succeed his father, and will another Spring swap places with a McEllistrim?

THERE is considerable interest around the personalities in Kerry in the forthcoming election. Will John O’Donoghue get re-elected, will Michael Healy-Rae succeed his father, and will another Spring swap places with a McEllistrim?

KERRY Fianna Fáil TD Tom McEllistrim is back on the election campaign trail a little over an hour after being involved in a car crash which resulted in two people being brought to hospital.

GREEN leader John Gormley last night admitted the party grassroots would force an internal vote on NAMA that could derail Government plans to deal with the banking crisis.

KERRY Sinn Féin councillor Toireasa Ferris has played down suggestions that her co-option to Tralee Town Council earlier this week is another milestone on her road to Dáil Éireann.

Voters in the two constituencies in Kerry have returned strong No votes in the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

PLANS to make 14,000 Limerick voters cast their ballot in the Kerry North constituency at the next election have been described as illogical.

LIMERICK’S three electoral constituencies have been radically revised with 13,146 voters being transferred to the constituency of Kerry North under controversial recommendations made to the Government yesterday.

Sinn Féin’s Martin Ferris has been returned in Kerry North to join poll-topper Jimmy Deenihan.

The election’s top vote-getter (so far) Willie O’Dea had an army of 700 canvassers knocking on doors, it emerged tonight.

Bertie Ahern appeared to be on course for a third term as Taoiseach this afternoon.

Ministers Willie O'Dea and Mary Hanafin became the latest high-profile Fianna Fáil candidates to be re-elected to the Dáil this afternoon as they were returned in Limerick East and Meath West respectively.

Jobs, housing and hospital hygiene will dominate the agenda of today’s General Election campaign.

LABOUR yesterday categorically ruled out sharing power with Sinn Féin after the election.

AS A man who likes a bet, even Arts, Sport and Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue would hardly be tempted to take the odds being placed on himself in the election.

Voters will not be duped by election promises to abolish stamp duty for first time house buyers, it was claimed today.

FIANNA Fáil yesterday suffered an election year setback.

TRAVELLERS in Kerry have complained to gardaí that they were subjected to racist abuse from Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte will be canvassing in Kerry North today in a bid to win back Dick Spring's old Dáil seat.

WITH the ending of two family dynasties in Kerry, the Labour Party is in a serious situation and could be without a Dáil seat in the county after the next election.

FEARS of a resurgence of vigilante activity against alleged drug pushers in Kerry emerged yesterday, following a threat by Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris that the party would picket the house of a leading drug dealer in Tralee.

Donal Hickey

TOURISM Minister John O’Donoghue lashed out at the Fine Gael and Labour parties in Kerry South, claiming they had not campaigned actively for a Yes vote in the constituency.

The Kerry North constituency, which rejected the Nice Treaty last year, has voted 'Yes' this time round.

Former senior IRA figure Martin Ferris, now a Sinn Fein representative in the Dail, had a courtroom charge against him under the public order act dismissed today because of lack of proof.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was today celebrating his greatest electoral triumph as his centre-right Fianna Fail party powered its way towards a possible overall majority.

Former Labour leader Dick Spring has lost his seat in Kerry North.

Sinn Fein looks set to make electoral history after their Dublin South West candidate Sean Crowe captured a Dail seat.

The IRA will eventually disband, former Minister for Foreign Affairs Dick Spring predicted today.

Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator Martin McGuinness was today in contact with senior Irish government officials after a party member tipped to win a seat in the Republic’s parliament was arrested as part of an investigation into a vigilante attack.