With just days to go until voters have their say in the Galway West and Dublin Central byelections, many have made up their minds on who they intend to support but other votes remain up for grabs. Here is a look at the issues that are coming up on the doorsteps.
Galway West
The cost of living: Though the constituency is split between city and rural areas, there is considerable overlap when it comes to this issue.
For urban voters, energy bills and prices of food, goods and services top the agenda. On a canvass in Mervue, one woman told a group campaigning for Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan she is only getting about half the groceries she did last year for the same spend.
It is slightly different in the rural part of the constituency because so many commute to the city by car. There has been a lot of discussion about the cost of diesel and petrol given Co Galway’s heavy dependence on cars for transport.
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A recent Government package, which reduced fuel prices by some 30 cent per litre, has helped to take the sting out of the issue somewhat, but for city and rural voters the cost of home heating oil remains a big concern.
Housing: Affordable housing has come up on doorsteps across the constituency. Government candidates have emphasised the impact of the Croí Cónaithe scheme, which offers grants to those renovating derelict properties, which has had a significant uptake here.
In the city, a lack of affordable student accommodation has been a recurring topic. In Connemara, families are being refused planning permission because they do not meet the threshold of “local need” despite being from the area and native Irish speakers.
Hundreds of houses along the west coast are offered as holiday lets and Government candidates (and those on the left) have been divided over whether these should reassigned to help meet long-term housing needs. Those defending their use for short-term stays say there would be a big loss of income in tourism dependent areas were this to change.
[ An unusual Galway byelection canvass involves a seven-minute flightOpens in new window ]
Transport: Until early this year traffic congestion was the number one issue. An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to approve a new outer ring road for the city has taken some of the heat out of the topic.
Nevertheless, Galway city remains heavily snarled with traffic. There are frequent complaints about the lack of public transport and the shortage of cycle lanes. However, some residents complain about the impact new bike lanes are having on other modes of transport. There have also been calls in Galway for a light-rail system, similar to a smaller version of the Luas, to be built.
In rural areas, the main issue is the condition of the road network, particularly potholes along the thousands of kilometres of minor roads in this vast constituency.
Immigration: This issue has not been as dominant in Galway West as it might be in some other constituencies. That said, all the candidates say voters have raised concerns about immigration and asylum seekers with them.
In some ways, the issue has defined the campaign of Independent Ireland candidate Noel Thomas, who has taken a firm stance in opposing accommodation for asylum seekers. This issue is expected to influence transfer patterns, which could have a bearing on the outcome.
The Irish language: Galway West has the largest Gaeltacht area in the State. Sinn Féin candidate Marc Lohan, who does not speak fluent Irish, has faced some criticism from a small number of party members over the issue. In general, the ability of candidates to speak Irish has become a topic during the campaign. In Irish-speaking areas, the two most fluent candidates – Seán Kyne and Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich – are expected to perform strongly.
Dublin Central
Cost of Living: Although fuel prices remain an issue across the island, the biggest concerns raised on doorsteps in the capital relate to the weekly grocery shop, energy bills and the rising cost of goods and services. Without doubt, it is the biggest issue in the constituency and all candidates have tailored their campaigns around responding to it.
Housing: Unsuprisingly, this issue is coming up in the capital – from affordability in the more middle-class areas to the shortage of social housing and cost-rental homes in working-class areas.
The constituency has one of the highest rates of homelessness and private renting in the country. Sharp increases in rents over recent years are frequently raised with candidates on the doors.
Immigration: Dublin Central is one of the most ethnically diverse constituencies in the State. A growing population has led to housing pressures and, in some communities, tensions over resources and integration.
The biggest campaign controversies so far surround separate comments made by Independent candidate Gerry Hutch and former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern about race, religion and ethnicity. Malachy Steenson, who was elected to Dublin City Council in 2024 on an openly anti-immigration platform, is also running.
Antisocial behaviour: This issue has been raised in several parts of the constituency, with concerns centred on the behaviour of groups of teenagers, the use of scooters and e-bikes, and balaclava-wearing youths on electric scramblers speeding through neighbourhoods.
Special education: The row earlier this year over cutbacks to special needs assistants in some schools has become a significant campaign issue. All candidates attended a public meeting in the north inner city calling for the protection of allocated special needs assistants and the establishment of new classes, schools and supports. In Glasnevin, one parent described how her 15-year-old daughter had never been given a roadmap towards a proper education and said that, as a result, “it is too late now”.
