The four-seater constituency of Dublin extends northwards from the banks of the River Liffey in the city centre in the direction of Fingal, and towards the Dublin mountains in the south.
Candidates:
23 candidates in total: Dr Umar Al-Qadri (Independent); Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil); Rebecca Barrett (An Páirtí Náisiúnta); Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin); Niall Boylan (Independent Ireland); Robin Cafolla (Independent); Aisling Considine (Aontú); Ciarán Cuffe (Green Party); Clare Daly (Independents4Change); Regina Doherty (Fine Gael); Daithí Doolan (Sinn Féin); Philip Dwyer (Ireland First); Sinéad Gibney (Social Democrats); Andy Heasman (The Irish People); Conor Murphy (Independent); Eamonn Murphy (Independent); Diarmaid Ó Conaráin (Irish Freedom Party); Brendan Ogle (Independent); Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour); Stephen O’Rourke (Independent); Patrick Quinlan (The National Party); Bríd Smith (People Before Profit – Solidarity); Malachy Steenson (Independent).
Seats:
This is a four-seater constituency.
Outgoing MEPs:
Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil)
Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)
Ciarán Cuffe (Green Party)
Clare Daly (Independents4Change)
Lie of the land:
This is a competitive constituency with 23 candidates vying for just four seats.
The constituency’s boundary remains unchanged and comprises the areas of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin, as well as Dublin city.
Geographically, it’s the smallest of the European constituencies, which has its advantages, allowing the candidates to travel around the constituency and focus on Dublin specific issues.
According to Census 2022, Dublin has a population of 1,458,154.
Analysis:
In 2019, the Green Party’s Ciarán Cuffe topped the poll, but it came at a time when much of Europe experienced a so-called “green wave” of support for climate focused politicians.
The “green wave” led to the “Green Deal” policy initiative spearheaded by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
However, some of those climate policies, such as the controversial Nature Restoration Law, have provoked a backlash from certain sections of the electorate.
It has fuelled concern amongst Green group MEPs that the “green wave” may not be there in the 2024 election.
Fine Gael MEP Frances Fitzgerald took the second seat; however, she announced last year that she would not be contesting the European Elections in 2024.
The party has selected current Senator and former minister for social protection Regina Doherty to contest the 2024 European election.
She was previously a TD for Meath East but lost her seat in the 2020 General Election.
She established an office in Skerries, north Dublin, with a view to contesting the next General Election.
Ms Doherty is not as well established in Dublin as her predecessor Ms Fitzgerald, but has name recognition and so many will be watching with interest to see how she performs.
Clare Daly MEP is hoping to retain her seat in the European Parliament, but she is up against many other left-wing candidates.
Ms Daly has maintained a high profile during her term as an MEP but her stance on foreign policy issues, particularly Ukraine, has attracted controversy at times.
She has accused the EU of transitioning from a peace project to a defence union. Ms Daly will not be using posters during this campaign due to the impact of micro-plastics on the environment.
Barry Andrews of Fianna Fáil got the fourth seat in 2019 – dubbed the “Brexit seat” – and he could only take up office after the UK formally left the European Union at the end of 2020.
He hails from a well-known political family and was previously CEO of the aid charity Goal and Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs.
Mr Andrews previously served as a junior Minister for Children in Brian Cowen’s government.
He’s the sole candidate for Fianna Fáil in the Dublin constituency.
Sinn Féin experienced a difficult local and European elections in 2019 with Lynn Boylan losing her seat here.
The main Opposition party however is performing better in national polls compared to five years ago and so many expect that it is in with a decent shot of getting Ms Boylan elected this year.
Senator Boylan has maintained a good profile during her time in the Seanad, known particularly for her stance on climate issues.
She supported the passing of the EU Nature Restoration Law, putting her at odds with the rest of her party and Sinn Féin MEP Chris McManus.
Unlike the other major parties, Sinn Féin is running two candidates in this constituency, with Councillor Daithí Doolan also on the ticket.
There’s a significant number of other high-profile candidates vying for a seat in the Dublin constituency.
They include the broadcaster and Independent Ireland candidate, Niall Boylan.
Many left wing candidates such as Labour Party TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith and the Social Democrats candidate Sinéad Gibney are also in the race.
There is a risk, however, that the left-wing vote could be spread too thinly due to the volume of candidates.
Housing and immigration are likely to be topical issues and several candidates, outlined below, are advocating a tougher approach to inward migration.
Prediction:
It’s likely that the three big parties; Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, will each win a seat.
Candidates such as Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe, Independent4Change MEP Clare Daly and Independent Ireland’s Niall Boylan are also in contention.
However, other candidates should not be discounted.
You can view each of the candidates below:
