Election special : All to play for in two by-election battles

Longford WestMeath

The Longford-Westmeath by-election is seen by most locals as a straight shoot-out between Fine Gael’s Gabrielle McFadden and Fianna Fáil’s Aengus O’Rourke.

Both are based in Athlone, and both are from political dynasties. McFadden is the sister of the late Nicky McFadden, whose untimely death from motor neuron disease at the age of 51 prompted the by-election.

There will undoubtedly be a sympathy vote, but even her opponents say that McFadden, ...