Inter-party rivalry last right up to final day before polling

After numerous fights between the three Fine Gael candidates in the Ireland South European constituency, Deirdre Clune broke the party campaign rules in style for one last time yesterday.

Ms Clune, Seán Kelly and Simon Harris, the three FG candidates in the constituency, have each been allocated different areas to work, but there have been many transgressions and cross-border raids, with tensions ratcheting up each time.

Party headquarters and even Taoiseach Enda Kenny have had to step in more than once. Limerick was supposed to be allocated to Mr Kelly, but Ms Clune took out a front page advert in the Limerick Leader, showing her posing under an umbrella with none other than the local TD, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, as well as his fellow Limerick city TD Kieran O'Donnell.

Sources on the campaign said the Kelly camp was not too pleased, to put it mildly, yet those in Ms Clune’s corner were at ease with themselves, safe in the knowledge that today is polling day, and there is no time for a fightback.