BONGOS, barracks and beds in the county hospital sum up the election campaign to date in Kildare South. The drums? For the Progressive Democrats leader, Mary Harney, when she played the party beat for her candidate, Senator John Dardis, in Newbridge a few weeks ago.
A "two nation" county is how some voters describe the new constituency. "Given its largely rural base, Kildare South is not perceived to have benefited from the massive injection of investment into the northern half," Labour's assistant director of elections, Aidan McNamara, says.
Yet Intel and Hewlett Packard in Leixlip have made an impact on the whole region, he insists.
His candidate, Cllr Jack Wall, is one of Labour's great hopes and he is tipped to take the third seat in the constituency. In 1992, when it was still one Kildare, Wall polled almost 3,000 first preferences.
With 1,500 transfers from Emmet Stagg, the Labour man hung in there till the last count and was fewer than 300 votes behind Fine Gael's Bernard Durkan.
The new boundary has left Wall without Stagg's transfers to lean on but he has a sufficiently high profile and is well enough known in GAA circles to pull it off.
Even his former rugby playing party leader has deferred to the councillor's prowess. "I will do everything I can to help Jack Wall get elected . . . except play football," the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said in Newbridge at the start of the canvass.
Labour will have a determined Mr Dardis to contend with, however, while Fianna Fail's Sean O Fearghail - the second of three candidates on that party's ticket is also out to kill. The future of Army barracks under the Defence Forces review is a live issue in the largely rural area.
In spite of Fianna Fail's statement in its policy document that it would not rule out closures, all three party candidates have kicked to touch in the Kildare Nationalist.
Barrack closures "must be resisted", says outgoing TD, Sean Power, son of former defence minister, Paddy. Sean O Fearghail "strongly objects", while the third Fianna Fail candidate, radio broadcaster Christy Walsh, has promised to "reverse this closure policy".
Other issues include a shortage of beds in Naas hospital, and frustration over delays in the £18 million earmarked for an extension. Most candidates have agreed that investment in infrastructure is badly needed, and Cllr Wall has proposed setting up a jobs task force to redress the balance between the two constituencies.
Fianna Fail says that crime and high taxation have also been raised on doorsteps but then every Fianna Fail director of elections in constituencies profiled by this reporter to date seems to be singing the same song.
The former party leader and Fine Gael Transport, Energy and Communications Minister, Alan Dukes, is expected to top the poll, followed by Fianna Fail's Sean Power.
Dukes's running mate, Rainsford Hendy, is a farmer, seed merchant and hardworking county councillor from Ballitore, who is also a member of the Church of Ireland Synod. He is expected to poll reasonably well in the rural areas.
Fine Gael is making the most of what it describes as "panic" on the part of Fianna Fail in imposing a third candidate, Carlow Kilkenny Radio (CKR) presenter Christy Walsh.
Sean Power's base had been in the north "so it looks as if they were worried", Fine Gael's director of elections, Moira Finnegan, says.
There is one Independent, Francis Browne, who is a labourer from Nurney. He was coopted to the county council on the death of Joe Bermingham, and the plight of the homeless is one of his campaign planks.
Whatever the outcome at the Newbridge count centre, none of the candidates will be returned on the strength of a sense of humour. Asked by the local newspaper to describe the last time he was really happy, one of the eight, Alan Dukes, said that this was "not an election issue", while Sean O Fearghail said that it was "the day before the election was called".
His party colleague, Sean Power, managed to raise a smile, describing how he had sung Molly Malone at his sister's recent wedding in Kenmare. "Just as well you are not looking for votes in Kerry," roared one of the guests as he finished the last verse.
