by Alan Jacques
WITH the General Election widely anticipated to be called on Tuesday, the bookies have wasted little time in installing Michael Noonan and Willie O’Dea as firm favourites to retain their seats in the Limerick City constituency.
The Finance Minister and former Fine Gael leader is a prohibitive 1/100 shot to retain his seat while former Fianna Fáil Minister O’Dea, a perennial poll topper, is an almost unbackable 1/33.
According to Liam Glynn of BoyleSports, Noonan and O’Dea are “almost certainties” to be reelected. After that, he predicts that three candidates will be vying for the last two seats, barring a major surprise.
“With Labour’s performance in the last local election and the party’s own national polls, Jan O’Sullivan is no certainty to retain her seat hence the Minister of Education’s price of 4/9,” Mr Glynn explained.
“Sinn Féin soared in the last local elections and this indicates that Maurice Quinlivan will likely double his vote count from the last elections. The big fight will likely be between Kieran O’Donnell of Fine Gael and Jan O’Sullivan for the final seat. Michael Noonan’s transfers could be crucial, and, it just could get O’Donnell over the line,” he predicts.
BoyleSports are giving Maurice Quinlivan odds of (1/7); Kieran O’Donnell (1/3); Jan O’Sullivan (4/9); Cian Prendiville of the Anti Austerity Alliance (12/1); Sarah Jane Hennelly of the Social Democrats (33/1), and James Gaffney of the Green Party (100/1).
In County Limerick, Niall Collins (FF) and Patrick O’Donovan (FG) are the bookies favourites to retain their seats.
Collins, who is the Fianna Fáil spokesman on Justice, is at odds of 1/50 while O’Donovan is 1/20 to retain his seat.
Fine Gael hopeful Tom Neville is at odds of 1/3 to win the seat held by his father, party chairman Dan Neville; Emmett O’Brien (Ind) is 10/11; James Heffernan (SD) is 5/1; Seamus Browne (SF) is 8/1; Richard O’Donoghue (Ind) is 33/1 and Mark Keogh (Ind) is (50/1).
