EU Elections Constituency Profile - Ireland South: With 23 candidates, some big names could miss out

The 10-county constituency is expected to return two incumbents, but the final seat of the five-seater could be the one to keep us all watching Ireland South for many days, writes Paul Hosford.

'I didn't get the flu bug, the covid bug, or the retirement bug.' MEP Sean Kelly is ready for another tilt at Europe.

There aren't many times that you can group the voters of Corca Dhuibhne and Greystones, of Hook Head and Thomondgate, of Gurranabraher and Urlingford, but the European elections offer us a lot of unique opportunities.

Ireland South spans 10 counties and goes coast to coast from Kerry to Wicklow and Clare to Wexford. Having lost Laois and Offaly, the constituency is now effectively the lower third of the island and will take in more than 1.8 million people, or 371,000 for each one of its five MEPs.