A SWING to or from a particular party in 16 bellwether constituencies will tell us a lot about the national trends, and could determine the overall shape of the 30th Dáil.

Bertie Ahern has insisted the campaign run by Fianna Fail candidate Cllr Michael Maguire in Tipperary South was excellent, despite his elimination after the second count.

Fine Gael Senator Tom Hayes has emerged as the early leader in the Tipperary south by-election with 45% of the vote tallied.

Turnout in the Tipperary south by-election is now estimated at around 35 per cent, with voting reported to be brisk.

A date for the Tipperary-South by-election should be announced before the end of this week.