The latest news on the Irish General Election

It’s all over bar the voting – and the wannabe leaders have led the way in the 2011 General Election.
Fine Gael’s Taoiseach elect Enda Kenny, Labour’s Eamon Gilmore and Fianna Fail’s Micheal Martin have all cast their vote.

The three main party leaders were up and out early as polling stations opened at more than 6,000 locations across the country at 7am Irish time.

A total of just more than 3.2million voters have until 10pm Irish time to cast their votes in the 43 constituencies as the nation elects 165 members of the 31st Dail.

Outgoing Ceann Comhairle Seamus Kirk is guaranteed his seat and is automatically returned as the 166th TD.

Kirk’s Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin voted just before 9.30am at the polling station at St Anthony’s Boys School in Ballinlough in his native Cork.

“Every vote counts and I would urge people to come out and vote,” said Martin.

Fine Gael leader Kenny was also on home soil when he was accompanied to the polling station at St Patrick’s National School in Castlebar by his wife Fionnuala and eldest daughter Aoibhinn.

“I hope that as many people as possible, all over the country, go and cast their vote today,” said Kenny as Fine Gael prepares to become the biggest party in the Dail for the first time in the history of the State.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore voted at Scoil Mhuire in Shankill while President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin cast their votes at St Mary’s Hospital in the Phoenix Park. 

Green Party leader John Gormley voted with his wife Penny Stuart in Ringsend and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams voted at Doolargy National School in Co Louth.

Early indications suggest a strong turn-out across the country with mild weather conditions likely to encourage voters to get out and exercise their democratic right.

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Labour Party candidate John Gilroy is looking to take home the bacon on the double today when he goes before voters in the Cork North Central constituency.

Gilroy, a local councilor, provided a nice turn of pace yesterday to help catch a loose Vietnamese pot-bellied pig as he mounted his final campaign pre-election.

The pig was running a-muck (get it?) on the streets near the Crestfield Shopping Centre when Gilroy came to the rescue. “I thought they were winding me up at first because you wouldn’t normally see one of them running around a busy urban area,” Gilroy told the Examiner.

But a few minutes later myself and my canvass team spotted him wandering towards an area where there were a number of children playing.

“We decided we’d better catch him as he could cause a traffic accident, or if he got spooked he could run into the children. He could have caused a bit of damage as I reckon he weighed about 20 stone. He was a fierce fat fella.”

It took Gilroy and his Labour Party colleagues half an hour to persuade the pig to go into a local garden – persuading the electorate to cook Fianna Fail’s goose today may be slightly easier.

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Nster.com