O’Donoghue finds himself a sure bet

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.

If the bookies have it right, the minister, a regular attender at race meetings, will win his seat by a distance and in a proverbial canter.

Paddy Power has him quoted at almost unbackable odds 1/50, away ahead of the field.

Over the past five years, Mr O’Donoghue has been pouring money into his Kerry South constituency, with arts centres and sporting organisations being the main beneficiaries.

He got his election campaign underway with a splash-out which recently delivered €3.5 million to more than 60 sports clubs in both Kerry constituencies.

Biggest winners were, understandably, in his own constituency. In number one spot was Beaufort GAA club which got €200,000, with St Mary’s GAA club, in his hometown Caherciveen, a good second on €170,000.

Latest announcement from Mr O’Donoghue is a €63,000 share-out from the Dormant Accounts Fund for 10 projects aimed at encouraging participation in sport among young people from disadvantaged communities in Kerry.

Three other candidates in Kerry South are also odds-on — Labour’s Breeda Moynihan Cronin, 1/5; Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, 4/7, and Fine Gael’s Tom Sheahan, 4/5.

Meanwhile, differences in priorities among voters in the two Kerry constituencies are highlighted in a poll out yesterday on election issues in the county.

The state of roads is the top issue with 50% of those polled, in Kerry South, while unemployment is the primary concern with 34% of people polled in Kerry North.

Tralee, the main population centre in Kerry North, is one of the country’s jobs blackspots with around 3,500 people on the live register. Kerry North has also been starved of industrial investment in recent years.

Tourist haven Killarney is the cockpit of the election of Kerry South and tourism was mentioned by 16% of people in Kerry South as an issue. However, it wasn’t raised in Kerry North.

The Kerryman poll found healthcare to be a key issue in both constituencies, cited by 31% in Kerry North and 27% in Kerry South.