Independents: Michael O'Regan, Parliamentary Correspondent, looks at the prospects for the Independents and their chances of holding the balance of power after the election
Independents have done well in recent elections with 14 being elected to the Dáil in 2002 and 11 in 1997. Recent opinion polls have shown a steady 8 per cent or so of the electorate expressing their support for Independents.
A group of three Independents had a decisive influence on the formation of government in 1997 with three of them backing Bertie Ahern to make him taoiseach and then providing consistent support for his government over the following five years.
The collapse of Fine Gael in 2002 saw an increase in the number of Independents in the last Dáil but they did not have the same degree of influence because the Fianna Fáil-PD Government had a secure majority.
During the lifetime of the Dáil two of the Independents joined the ranks of the big battalions. Liam Twomey joined Fine Gael and Niall Blaney Fianna Fáil.
Mayo Independent TD, Dr Jerry Cowley, has suggested that the Independents in the new Dáil should form an alliance if they hold the balance of power but that is something they failed to do in the outgoing Dáil, despite a number of attempts.
Cowley believes their support will be required to form the next government. "I have suggested in the past that Independents should have a common policy platform...I think that if we hold the balance of power after the election we should draw up a list of policy demands," he said.
"I would prefer to do a deal with Enda Kenny rather than Bertie Ahern, because he is a Mayo man. My main demands will centre on the health services in Mayo."
The proposed alliance was backed by Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central) who has, for long, been an advocate of a shared policy platform on the Independent benches. "I would welcome the idea of credible and like-minded Independents coming together to deal with health, disability, housing and other issues," he said.
Cowley is under pressure in the Mayo five-seater where another Independent, Beverley Flynn, is also seeking re-election. Fine Gael is hoping to win a third seat, given that the constituency is Enda Kenny's base.
Independent candidates with a chance of returning to the Dáil admit that it is much tougher this time with a strong alternative to the FF-PD coalition on offer. In 2002, an Independent candidate could say to the electorate that if they held the balance of power they could do a deal along the lines of the Independents who had kept the outgoing government in power.
The message to voters was that there would be plenty of constituency goodies in prospect in such circumstances. But that is now political history.
Nevertheless, Independent TDs such as Cowley believe that there is a strong chance one of the groups seeking power might need their votes and that constituency demands will be the price to be paid.
Independent Dublin Central TD Tony Gregory, who secured considerable funding for his Dublin Central constituency as the price of his support for a shortlived government in 1982, is more circumspect about a post-election alliance.
"My priority right now is to get elected," he said, adding that this is the most competitive election he has fought since he was first elected to the Dáil in February 1982.
Dublin Central is also the Taoiseach's constituency and that factor, as well as the strong Sinn Féin challenge and strong recent showings by Labour and Fine Gael, were putting him under pressure, he said.
"Getting re-elected as an Independent is about putting in the work on the ground," he said. "The publicity arising from supporting the government of the day is valuable, but it is no replacement for constituency work."
McGrath, a close friend and associate of Gregory's for many years, is fighting a even tougher battle for survival in Dublin North Central, which has been reduced from a four-seater to a three-seater.
Had it remained a four-seater, he would have been relatively secure, because of his impressive track record at Dáil and constituency levels.
But he is now faced with the task of taking one of the two Fianna Fáil seats, currently held by Seán Haughey and Ivor Callely, given that Fine Gael's Richard Bruton is secure.
Another Independent, Tipperary South's Séamus Healy, who would be considered one of the left-of-centre TDs, is under pressure in Tipperary South from Labour's Phil Prendergast. The constituency was once a Labour stronghold, before one of its long-serving deputies, Seán Treacy, broke with the party on policy issues.
Paudge Connolly, the hospital candidate in Cavan-Monaghan, who briefly flirted with the possibility of a Fianna Fáil nomination, is fighting a revitalised Fine Gael challenge.
The strongest electorally of the Independents is Kildare North's Catherine Murphy, a former Democratic Left and Labour councillor, who won her seat in a by-election in March 2005 caused by the resignation of Charlie McCreevy who moved to Brussels as EU Commissioner. The constituency has gained a seat to become a four-seater.
In the event of Fianna Fáil attempting to form a government, its first call for support would be to the party's "gene pool" Independents, Kerry South's Jackie Healy-Rae, Galway East's Paddy McHugh, Mayo's Beverley Flynn, Clare's James Breen.
Of them all, Flynn appears to be the strongest bet to return to the Dáil. Healy-Rae is also likely to make it, although he is fighting a strong challenge from Fine Gael and a former Fianna Fáil colleague, Tom Fleming, for his seat.
Healy-Rae is calling on his vast experience as a Fianna Fáil grassroots operator, dating back to the Neil Blaney by-elections of the 1960s, in his campaign, with posters describing him as Independent Fianna Fáil. He knows he might well be relying on Fianna Fáil transfers to see him back in the Dáil.
Breen was regarded as a safe bet in Clare at the early stage of the campaign, but he is now coming under pressure from Fine Gael's Joe Carey, who is increasingly seen as a strong bet to take a second seat for the party in the four-seater.
McHugh will have a battle on his hands in the four-seat Galway East, with Fine Gael in line for a gain if the party's opinion poll ratings remain solid.
Fine Gael also has its "gene pool" candidates in Tipperary North's Michael Lowry, a former minister, and in Donegal North East's Jimmy Harte, son of former long-serving Fine Gael TD, Paddy Harte.
Lowry is a safe bet but Harte has an uphill struggle to win a seat, although he remains quietly confident of turning in a strong performance.
Harte, a prominent local councillor, decided to run as an Independent after he failed to get a Fine Gael nomination. He believes that the party would win back its seat if he was on the ticket with candidate Senator Joe McHugh.
"The issues are the health services and the provision of infrastructure and jobs for Letterkenny. I have the advantage of being in business in the town as an insurance broker for many years, " he said. "I can understand the concerns of business people."
Just as Fianna Fáil could expect to rely on a a group of gene pool Independents, Fine Gael and Labour are hoping that they may have a few supporters among the ranks.
Michael Lowry has declared that he will vote for Enda Kenny for taoiseach and Labour has hopes that Catherine Murphy will back a Fine Gael-Labour coalition. Tony Gregory may also be open to persuasion if the right kind of political deal was on offer.
Apart from the outgoing Independent TDs, there are a number of other Independent candidates whose performance will bear watching.
John Kelly, from Ballaghadereen, is contesting the new Roscommon-South Leitrim constituency with the support of the influential hospital action committee.
In the past, Roscommon elected Independent Tom Foxe on the hospital ticket. In a county notorious for its political volatility, Kelly is conducting a strong campaign on local issues.
"The vibes are good," he said, adding that the constituency could throw up some surprises this time.
In Tipperary North, Jim Ryan has joined the expanding Fianna Fáil "gene pool" of candidates, having left the party in 2004 after he failed to get a nomination to contest the county council elections. He went on to retain his seat in Thurles Town Council and won a county council seat as an Independent.
He is likely to poll well and his transfers could prove influential in deciding the destiny of the last seat, with Fianna Fáil vulnerable to a challenge from Fine Gael and Labour.
In the Dublin Mid West four-seater, which has gained a seat since the last time, Derek Keating has entered the race with a formidable local election vote.
A strong community activist, he was first elected to South Dublin County Council for the Lucan electoral area.
In the 2004 local elections, he polled 3,680 first preferences, exceeding the quota of 3,385.
In Dublin South Central, Joan Collins, a councillor representing Crumlin-Kimmage, polled an impressive 2,800 first preferences in the local elections. She believes that she can significantly increase her first preference vote and secure transfers from other left-of-centre candidates.
Independent candidate Evelyn Cawley is standing in Wicklow on a platform of reform of the planning laws.
Ms Cawley, a former Greystones town councillor and wife of Ryanair Deputy CEO Michael Cawley, wants an end to management fees for newly built estates and to the practice of developers being allowed to build on land that was originally allocated as green space.
She is also campaigning on local issues including opposition to the proposed marina development in Greystones, a high speed rail link between Dublin and Arklow and 24 hour emergency health clinics in major growth areas.
Also running a campaign on planning is businessman, Noel O'Gara, who has been embroiled in controversy because of his plans to develop the park in Dartmouth Square, Dublin.
He is proposing completely abolishing the planning laws and is running in four constituencies.