Writes J J Hurley
The upcoming local election in the Bandon/Kinsale Electoral Area on June 7th will ultimately have consequences for several candidates with national aspirations.
Of course, candidates will claim their current focus is on the local elections and its outcome, but that's only partially true.
One with one eye on a greater prize is Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, who lost her Dáil seat in the last election.
Returning to Cork County Council would be a step towards getting on the ballot in the upcoming general election.
Former mayor Cllr Gillian Coughlan is another candidate who hasn't hidden her political ambitions, but rumours continue to circulate that she might be offered the opportunity with another party.
However, that all depends on the mood music from Fianna Fáil HQ and whether it adds a second candidate to the general election ticket.
While two candidates, John Collins and Ann Bambury, may not have political ambitions outside county hall, but their affiliations to Michael Collins and Holly Cairns may indicate the support of their party leaders in the Municipal Area.
Alan Coleman, who is expected to be prominent in the ballot boxes, may be happy to stay locally and not appear in future national elections.
However, he will have his voters' second and third-placed preferences closely scrutinised to determine the destination of those votes.
If recent opinion polls are to be believed, the tide on Sinn Féin may be going out, and the candidate for the Bandon/Kinsale Municipal Area, Clare O'Callaghan, will either confirm or prove to the contrary
Of course, there have also been ongoing rumblings in Fine Gael since the last general election, a point the Taoiseach rejected on his recent visit to Kinsale, but only time will tell if this is correct.
Leaving that aside, the party's candidates, Marie O'Sullivan, John Michael Foley, and Ger Seamen, will have their campaigns and votes scrutinised for signs of division or unity.
Outside those candidates, other candidates running include Brendan Piper, Ind; Cllr Sean O'Donovan. Fianna Fáil; Stephen Spillane, Green Party and Deborah O' Driscoll, The Irish People.
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