Government parties plan by-election voting pact as poll shows Sinn Féin ahead

Sinn Féin candidate Lynn Boylan canvassing in Dublin 12 this evening. The date for the upcoming Dublin Bay South by-election was announced today as July 8. Picture: Leah Farrell/ RollingNews.ie

There is alarm in Fine Gael over the fate of the Dublin Bay South by-election as Sinn Féin confirmed its status as the largest party in the State. A second national opinion poll in three days has Sinn Féin ahead of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Sources in Fine Gael have said they will seek to form a voting pact with their Government colleagues in a bid to prevent Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan from taking the seat.