Sinnott surge to rattle Fianna Fáil

Kathy Sinnott is set for another nail-biting clash with Fianna Fáil in the European elections, according to the Irish Examiner/Prime Time opinion poll, conducted by Lansdowne Market Research.

In an unexpected development, Ms Sinnott, an Independent candidate, has emerged as the main challenger to Fianna Fáil veteran Gerry Collins's prospects of retaining his seat in the South constituency, formerly Munster.

Despite only three in 10 voters being satisfied with the way the Government is running the country, Fianna Fáil's support in the local elections has not dropped significantly in the South as the poll shows the party taking 39% of the vote.