Poll shows Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leading in Dublin Central byelection
Kenneth Fox
Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leads the byelection race in Dublin Central, with Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats is strongly positioned to benefit from transfers in later counts, according to an opinion poll in the constituency for The Irish Times and TG4 by Ipsos B&A.
Veteran criminal Gerry Hutch is running in third place. Gardaí in court have described Hutch as the figurehead of the Hutch crime gang involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
The 62-year-old father of five, who has for years lived mostly in Lanzarote, is under investigation in Spain where he is suspected of being the leader of an international money laundering group.
Ray McAdam of Fine Gael is in fourth position, the poll finds.
There is bad news for Fianna Fáil, whose candidate, John Stephens, is failing to make an impression. The poll was carried out in the constituency before the controversy over former taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s remarks about immigrants this week.
The video shows a canvasser calling Ahern over to a doorstep to speak to a woman who “wants to say hello”.
She raised concerns about “globalism” and the “hordes of foreigners coming into our country”.
When asked about Muslim people, Ahern said he does not “worry about this generation”, but he does worry about the “next generation and the kids growing up”.
“That's when I think the problem will be. I said this to [justice minister] Jim O’Callaghan. That’s where the problem comes," Ahern said.
The woman also told Ahern that she was also concerned about transgender issues and hate speech laws.
She then told him that she had recorded him and was going to post it on social media, because she believed it was “important that you've said that you disagree with Jim O’Callaghan”.
Ahern denied that he had disagreed with O’Callaghan, as the woman accused him of “not sticking up for the Irish”.
The findings of the poll on first preference votes are as follows: Janice Boylan (Sinn Féin) 21 per cent; Daniel Ennis (Social Democrats) 18 per cent; Gerry Hutch (Independent) 14 per cent; Ray McAdam (Fine Gael) 13 per cent; Janet Horner (Greens) 8 per cent; Malachy Steenson (Independent) 7 per cent; Ruth O’Dea (Labour) 6 per cent; John Stephens (Fianna Fáil) 4 per cent; Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin (People Before Profit) 3 per cent.
The remaining candidates attracted 1 per cent support or less.
Ennis is expected to be in a position to pick up left-wing transfers from the Greens, Labour and People Before Profit. He will also hope that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil transfers will go to him, rather than Sinn Féin. If so, it will leave Sinn Féin’s Boylan short of transfers in the later counts.
The cost of living is the most important issue for the constituency, nominated by a third (33 per cent) of respondents. The next most important issue is house prices (24 per cent), while the cost of renting was nominated as the most important issue by 11 per cent. Immigration was mentioned by 12 per cent.
