Constituency profile: Kerry

Make no mistake — despite having 15 candidates to choose from due to the merger of two former Kerry constituencies into one, three of the five seats on offer in this sprawling area are already effectively decided.

The only question left is which of the three other main contenders — two of whom are sitting TDs, including one from a long-standing political dynasty — will lose out.

While the geographical scale of the Kerry constituency — made up of the old three-seaters Kerry North- West Limerick and Kerry South — poses a new challenge to candidates, Independent TD Michael Healy Rae, Fine Gael junior minister Jimmy Deenihan, and Sinn Féin’s Martin Ferris will comfortably get over the line.