Irish general election: Battle lines drawn in Donegal hills

More than 200km from Dublin, some regard Donegal as a place apart, particularly in a political sense

As the Republic of Ireland's parliamentary election approaches, battle lines are being drawn in one of the country's key constituencies.

It is mid-morning in Letterkenny, County Donegal, and in the winter sunshine shoppers, office workers and students are going about their business.

This is one of the busiest towns in the county and a good place to canvass opinion on how the forthcoming election will play out.

One woman stops for a chat and she is forthright in her views.

"Far too many wrong people got in last time and made a bad job of this county," she says.

As a seasoned voter, she may not get the dramatic change she is hoping for.

But things will be different when Donegal goes to the polls in the weeks ahead.

Capture

Once there were two constituencies in this large county, but under boundary changes they have been merged to create one.

It also means that instead of sending six representatives to the Irish parliament, voters will now choose five.

It will make the election here very tight and the final outcome hard to predict.

Pearse Doherty says Sinn Féin's bid to win a third seat in Donegal is a "risky strategy"

Sinn Féin have two parliamentarians, known as TDs, at the moment in the shape of Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty.

The party is also running councillor Gary Doherty in the hope he can capture a third seat.

Mr Doherty says vote management will be key.

"It is a risky strategy," he tells BBC Northern Ireland's Sunday Politics programme.

"It is very ambitious to take three out of five seats for Sinn Féin in the county."

He accepts the move could put their established seats in jeopardy, but he says they had "crunched the numbers".

Connected

So can Sinn Féin take three of the five seats?

Ciaran O'Donnell, a journalist with the Donegal Democrat newspaper, says anything is possible.

He believes Sinn Féin is "guaranteed two seats", but it will go to the wire for the final places.

Fine Gael's Paddy Harte Jr (centre) says Donegal must be better connected to the rest of the country

Fine Gael, the Republic of Ireland's largest political party, is running sitting TD Joe McHugh.

It has also selected Paddy Harte Jr, a fresh face to the election scene but someone with a well-known name - his father was a long time Fine Gael TD.

Mr Harte Jr says Donegal needs to be better connected, and that includes improving the A5 road in Northern Ireland.

"It is really important for the economy of the island that the A5 gives us that connection, and of course we are very dependent on how traffic gets through Northern Ireland," he says.

Objective

Like Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil wants to take two seats from the new constituency.

The party is running current TD Charlie McConalogue, along with former MEP Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher.

Charlie McConalogue says Fianna Fáil's objective is to become the country's largest party

Post-election, Fianna Fáil has made it clear which parties it will not do business with.

"We will not be going into government with Fine Gael or Sinn Féin," Mr McConalogue said.

"Our objective is to become the largest party."

Range

Voters in Donegal will have a number of independents to choose from, and in this part of the Republic of Ireland there is a long tradition of non-party candidates being elected.

Niamh Kennedy and Dessie Shiels are well-known councillors who are hoping to win a seat, as is businessman Tim Jackson.

Frank McBrearty Jr, who stood before as a Labour Party candidate is running this time as an independent.

Ian McGarvey, who is in his 80s and was once the oldest elected mayor in Ireland, is also in the race for parliament.

The Green Party is fielding Paula Flanagan and the wide range of candidates means voters will have plenty of choice.

Demands

So, could an independent or a candidate from one of the smaller parties triumph?

Thomas Pringle became an independent TD in 2011 and he is confident of being re-elected in the coming weeks.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle (right) said his support for any of the main parties is not guaranteed

If he is returned to parliament, he is prepared to talk to other parties.

"I would have a shopping list of things that Donegal requires," he said.

"If Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael want to do business with me based on those demands, I will talk to them, definitely.

"My support for anybody would not be guaranteed."

The election issues in Donegal are like those in other parts of the country, and the economy, healthcare, water charges and the problems caused by emigration will loom large on the campaign trail.

The boundaries may have changed but one old certainty remains the same.

The electoral fight across Donegal will be as competitive as ever.

Stephen Walker's full report for BBC Northern Ireland's Sunday Politics is available on the BBC iPlayer.