Wicklow Election 2024: Who are the candidates and who could make gains? Everything you need to know before voting

With Wicklow being the Taoiseach's constituency, it seems a certainty that one of those four remaining seats in the county will go to Simon Harris, as Fine Gael fields just two candidates this time out, as opposed to three in 2020.

The Taoiseach is joined by councillor Edward Timmins on the Fine Gael ticket, having been selected in September. Shay Cullen, who wasn't, caused a stir after he declared he would stand as an independent candidate, having resigned from Fine Gael after the selection convention.

Running Stephen Donnelly as the sole candidate for Fianna Fáil "was the only way to go", Senator Pat Casey said of his decision to withdraw from selection, along with Sonia Casey-Shortt, believing that with Fine Gael polling strongly, splitting the vote was not a risk Fianna Fáil should take. Smart money would be on Donnelly, leaving just two seats for the other seven candidates.

This means a tough battle for the Green Party's Steven Matthews, the Social Democrats' Jennifer Whitmore and Sinn Féin's John Brady, who will all be fighting to retain their seats.

Meanwhile, Labour councillor Paul O'Brien, who contested the 2020 general election, intends to become the first Wicklow town man to hold a Dáil seat in more than 25 years, with People Before Profit's Kellie McConnell, Aontú's Ciarán Hogan and independents Rob Carry and councillor Joe Behan making this constituency a very tight race.

Current TDs (five-seater is being reduced to four seats) Simon Harris (FG), Stephen Donnelly (FF), Steven Matthews (GP), Jennifer Whitmore (SD), John Brady (SF)

Are there any boundary changes? When the Electoral Commission proposed an entirely new arrangement of the constituencies in Wicklow and Wexford, the creation of the new Wicklow constituency saw 31 electoral divisions (EDs) with a population of 35,708 from south Wicklow transfer to the new Wicklow-Wexford constituency.

The sweeping changes have resulted in the new Wicklow constituency requiring an entirely different arrangement, with new boundary lines extending from just outside Knockananna in the west to south of Wicklow town in the east.

At a local level, the boundary amendments will mean that residents living in the Baltinglass and Wicklow Local Electoral Areas (LEAs), in areas such as Tinahely, Carnew, Shillelagh and Brittas, will now vote for Wicklow-Wexford candidates.

Places like Aughavannagh, Askanagap, Knockananna, Glenmalure and Kilbride, will be split between north and south, with some electors now casting their votes at separate polling stations.

Although the boundary changes have carved a large chunk out of the Baltinglass LEA and a small portion of the Wicklow LEA, Cllr Timmins is currently the outstanding candidate in the west and councillors O'Brien and Cullen will command significant support in the east.

What are the issues under the spotlight? Housing and transport are the two big ones, particularly in the commuter belt to north of the county. Infrastructure, such as the road network, is another area of concern for voters in wider Wicklow. The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk will most definitely come up on doorsteps.

Candidates: Simon Harris, Fine Gael*

Edward Timmins, Fine Gael

Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail*

Steven Matthews, Green Party*

John Brady, Sinn Féin*

Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats*

Paul O'Brien, Labour

Kellie McConnell, People Before Profit

Ciarán Hogan, Aontu

Rob Carry, Independent

Shay Cullen, Independent

Joe Behan, Independent

Further candidates may be added to the ballot

*indicates sitting TD