Is Dingle in danger of losing a County Council seat?

The West Kerry Gaeltacht could lose a County Council seat after the June 5th elections according to a prominent figure in local politics in the area.The seasoned campaigner, who wishes to remain anonymous as he is involved in one of the candidates campaigns, claims that with nine candidates contesting three seats, and six of those concentrated in the same West Kerry Gaeltacht area, the region is in grave danger of losing representation in Kerry County Council. “With six running together in a small concentrated area, based on the feedback we are getting on the ground, there is a strong possibility that they may cancel each other out on June 5th” said the source. The possibility that the West Kerry Gaeltacht will lose one of its Councillors is further enhanced by the fact that the recent election boundary revision has seen an additional 600 votes come into the eastern quadrant of the Dingle Electoral Area in Milltown which will no doubt favour candidates in that district. The West Kerry Gaeltacht previously had two sitting councillors: Cllr. Breandán MacGearailt and Cllr. Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald. Cllr. MacGearailt is not re-contesting his seat, however Cllr. Cosai Fitzgerald is seeking re-election. Joining Cllr. Cosai Fitzgerald in the fray in the West Kerry Gaeltacht electoral district are: Breandán Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil), Patrick Hanafin (Labour), Breannainn Ó Beaglaoi (Independent), Theresa Raftery-Moriarty (Sinn Féin) and Darach Ó Murchú (Green Party). These join candidates seeking election to the east of the Dingle Electoral Area, sitting Milltown-based Cllr. Micheál O’Shea (FF), Keel's Brendan Griffin (FG) and Camp’s Bridget O’Connor (Independent). “The feedback we’ve been getting from door to door is very mixed; if the Dingle and West Kerry Gaeltacht area goes from having two councillors to one at all it will be a major blow to the area which is already suffering with countless lay-offs and a lack of sustainable employment” the source added. "Hopefully this will not be the case but there is a real possibility that this situation could arise."

Pictured above left: An image of US President Barak Obama among the Kerry County Council candidates posters at Milltown roundabout in Dingle.