Tipperary (South Riding) County Council Clonmel Corporation Carrick-on-Suir UDC Cashel UDC Tipperary UDC
Voters in South Tipperary will deliver their verdicts on, not just the candidates, but in some respects the political process itself.
It was here in 1994 that the Workers and Unemployed Action Group took the Clonmel Corporation election by storm, winning four out of the 12 seats and recording a bigger vote than Fianna Fail.
The result reflected disillusionment with the track records of the establishment parties, and the disenchantment is spreading.
This time a business-led group called Tipperary Town Together is fielding three candidates in the county council election, citing the failure of those currently in power to secure urban renewal status for commercial development in the town, which has a high unemployment rate.
The Workers and Unemployed Action Group, which holds one county council seat at present, hopes to build on its previous successes by fielding six candidates, all in the Clonmel area, for both the county and corporation elections. The three women and three men are standing under the Team 2000 banner and include a former Clonmel mayor and current dual councillor, Mr Seamus Healy.
The party most likely to suffer is Labour, which may struggle to win a county council seat in Clonmel, as its only sitting councillor in the area, Mr Sean Lyons, is retiring.
The party's local TD, Mr Michael Ferris, is also giving up his seat in the Tipperary electoral area after more than 30 years on the council. This could open the way for the long-serving independent councillor, Mr Christy Kinahan, to top the poll.
Other high-profile councillors dropping out include two former Fianna Fail TDs, Mr Sean Byrne and Dr Sean McCarthy, as well as Fine Gael TD, Ms Theresa Ahearn, whose husband, Liam, is hoping to take over her seat in Cahir.
An intense battle is taking place in the Cashel area which, like Cahir, lost a seat to Clonmel when the electoral boundaries were redrawn. Fine Gael won three out of five seats here the last time so one of its sitting councillors, Mr Jack Crowe, Senator Tom Hayes or Mr Tom Wood, is likely to lose out.
Overall, Fianna Fail will be desperate to improve on its poor showing in 1991, when it took just 10 of the 26 seats, while Fine Gael has set itself a target of 11, an increase of two. Labour is likely to see a reduction in the four seats it holds but will be looking to rising stars such as Mr Denis Landy, a safe bet to retain his seat in Fethard, to turn its fortunes around.
