Fine Gael targets Kerry South as key strategic area

KERRY South has been pencilled in by Fine Gael strategists as a constituency where the party must win a seat in the next general election, if it is to form a government.

FG leader Enda Kenny, who visited Kerry at the weekend, said the local elections would be used as a springboard to regain the seat lost in 1989.

The party has struggled to win back the seat in every election since then, but Mr Kenny said he was heartened that they came within 300 votes of being successful in the 2002 election.