It may have been the general election campaign that put the small town of Kanturk in northwest Co Cork on the map, but voters all over the state have now had their say in Election 2024.
Campaigns matter. Irish politicians are accessible to the public in a way that is unimaginable in other countries. And election campaigns here provide an even greater opportunity for voters to get up close and personal with their prospective representatives.
The Irish Times photographers stuck close to the candidates in recent weeks, ready to record any unguarded moments during all those ever-so-carefully choreographed public appearances.
Roman emperor Julius Caesar is said to have bragged: “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”). Our photographers are a modest bunch but they came, they saw and they captured the character of candidates from all parties and none.
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This selection of their standout images sums up a fast-paced campaign in which thousands of doorbells were pressed, many hands shaken and, as always, lots of promises were made by incumbents and newcomers alike.
All campaigns have their highs and lows. For the candidates, the anxieties, uncertainty and excitement of this campaign have concluded. The people have spoken.
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