FF in damage limitation as Labour and FG win voters

FOR Fianna Fáil, the Cork East constituency has been a happy hunting ground since the early 1980s where Ned O’Keeffe and Michael Ahern were always guaranteed to retain their seats.

But in the face of a likely FF meltdown the party will be extremely lucky to hang onto even one seat. In the last election, Michael Ahern topped the poll with 10,350 first preference votes, closely followed in second place by O’Keeffe who got 10,081.

Together they captured a staggering 37.98% of the first preferences. But things have changed dramatically. O’Keeffe has bowed out of politics and handed the reins to his second eldest son Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe.