The most emphatic revelations in last week’s poll was the phenomenal support indicated for two Fine Gael female politicians. Maireád McGuinness polled 26 per cent in the Midlands North and West constituency. McGuinness’s vote share is all the more remarkable in circumstances where her Fine Gael running mate also polled 11 per cent. Brian Hayes, the sole Fine Gael candidate in Dublin in 2014, got just 15.6 per cent. It is an emphatic statement by Fine Gael voters and by many non-Fine Gael voters that they see her as having been badly treated when she was forced to resign from Cabinet in December 2017.

Source: The Irish Times May 17, 2019 00:00 UTC