The Carlow/Kilkenny constituency in the forthcoming general election faces two distinct and equally unpredictable battles.
Can Co Carlow's 26,000 voters see off the might of Kilkenny's 48,000?
Or will Carlow be bestowed with the dubious honour of being the only county in the country without a Dβil representative within its boundary?
From this vulnerable position there is an undeniable fear in the county that Carlow may be left without the crutch of a Dβil deputy.
"It has been the chamber's policy for the last number of years to campaign to have a Carlow-based TD," admitted Carlow Chamber of Commerce CEO Mr Gerry Dunne.
"As it stands, we are the only county in Ireland without a Government TD, never mind anyone at the Government table.
"We would be encouraging the people of Carlow to use their votes wisely in the next general election. Carlow needs a TD from a Government party."
In this election, the constituency will go from a five-seater to a four-seater due to the automatic re-election of Labour Party Ceann Comhβirle Mr Seamus Pattison.
Three of the four remaining sitting deputies - Mr Liam Aylward (FF), Mr John McGuinness (FF) and Mr Phil Hogan (FG) - will again stand.
Fine Gael's Mr John Browne, Carlow's only Dβil representative, announced his retirement earlier this year. His son, urban councillor Mr Fergal Browne, will stand.
In the 1997 general election, strategic vote management by Fine Gael ensured seats for Mr Hogan and Mr Browne.
This time around, such management is again vital but will probably be more difficult to attain if the young Mr Browne is to secure success and Mr Hogan is to retain his seat.
The situation within Labour is also unclear.
The Labour Party convention selected two candidates, Carlow Cllr Jim Townsend and Kilkenny Cllr Joe Cody.
However, Mr Cody has had health problems recently and it is unclear if he will stand.
Whether the party will run with a single candidate in Mr Townsend is not decided.
The second battle is within Fianna Fβil.
They clearly have more than two quotas but, with three candidates, it's all to play for between Kilkenny's Mr John McGuinness and Carlow's Mr M.J. Nolan for the second Fianna Fβil seat, with Mr Aylward likely to top the poll.
At this early stage as a sitting TD, Mr McGuinness would probably be favourite, but cross-party support from Carlow could swing the day for Mr Nolan.
With two Fianna Fβil seats and one Fine Gael, therefore, all likely to come from Kilkenny, the Carlow end of the constituency is left with one last bite of the cherry.
Indicators suggest that this remaining seat is a Left seat. The total Left vote in 1997 reached 11,000, enough to elect a candidate.
As newly elected deputy leader of the Green Party, Cllr Mary White stands a strong chance, along with Labour's Mr Townsend.
However Mr Browne and Mr Nolan will also be in the final crucial hunt for transfers.