General Election 2020: All the candidates for the Carlow/ Kilkenny constituency
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar this afternoon visited Áras an Uachtaráin to ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve the 32nd Dáil Éireann.
We now face into 23 days of what will certainly be intensive, divisive and intriguing campaigning for the 159 available Dáil seats.
Experts and analysts alike think this election could hark back to the days of the early 80s, when it took three elections over an 18 month period to finally settle on a workable Government.
The bookies have Fianna Fáil favourite to take the most seats, but so tight is this election expected to be they also believe they will win just one seat more than Fine Gael.
Experts expect big gains from the Green Party with marginal gains for Labour and Fianna Fáil. Fine Gael are predicted to hold what they have, while some say Sinn Féin might feel a slight squeeze.
The smaller parties, Solidarity – PBP, the Social Democrats and Independent TDs may be on the receiving end of a voting whipping.
In the Carlow/ Kilkenny constituency five seats are up for grabs and all the sitting TDs are back in the race.
Here is a full up-to date list of all those declared to run as of 4pm today.
Deputy Bobby Aylward, Fianna Fáil
Mullinavat, Kilkenny
Deputy Pat Deering, Fine Gael
Rathnapish, Carlow
Deputy Kathleen Funchion, Sinn Féin
Kilkenny City
Cllr Denis Hynes, The Labour Party
Goresbridge, Kilkenny
Deputy John McGuinness, Fianna Fáil
Kilkenny City
Senator Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Fianna Fáil
Graiguecullen, Carlow
Cllr Malcolm Noonan, Green Party
Kilkenny City
Melissa O’Neill, Irish Freedom Party
Ferrybank, Kilkenny
Cllr Patrick O’Neill, Fine Gael
Bennettsbridge, Kilkenny
Deputy John Paul Phelan, Fine Gael
Ferrybank, Kilkenny
Cllr Adrienne Wallace, People Before Profit
Rathnapish, Carlow
