Survey predicts serious blow for FF

A POLL carried out in the Cork South West constituency shows Fianna Fáil support in the region has nose-dived from 42.5% at the last election to a current low of 19%.

The internal poll carried out by Fine Gael shows Labour’s Senator Michael McCarthy at 20% was likely to win the third seat in the three-seater constituency and that the two Fianna Fáil candidates, Senator Denis O’Donovan and outgoing TD Christy O’Sullivan, will lose.

Fine Gael sources said that with proper vote management they should be guaranteed to retain two seats. However, who the successful FG candidates will be is a matter of conjecture.

The addition of Cllr Kevin Murphy on the ticket has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. It’s understood he will seriously eat into votes his colleague Cllr Jim Daly, the Mayor of County Cork, was hoping to get.

Cllr Daly, who is based in Clonakilty, had hoped to hoover up votes in the eastern side of the constituency, but when Kinsale-based Cllr Kevin Murphy was added to the ticket it quickly became apparent that wouldn’t be the case.

Castletownbere-based Cllr Noel Harrington has an easier run as he’s the party’s sole candidate on the western side of the constituency.

Senator Denis O’Donovan admitted that it would be tough work for Fianna Fáil to hold onto one seat.

“At the last election we got 42.5% of the vote and we were still only able to get one seat. I’d be deluded to think we’d get two this time,” he said.

However, he said if Fianna Fáil was able to get its core vote out it could retain its seat.

“We will need to get at least 25% of the vote to do this. I think it’s attainable if we get the core vote out,” Senator O’Donovan said.

Senator Michael McCarthy said he wasn’t interested in internal party polls. “The only poll that counts is the one on February 25. We have to be realistic, we’ll have a big job on our hands to win the third seat.”