Dublin Bay South by-election: Candidates feel the heat of Covid frustration and climate action

Despite a difficult campaign and a poor showing in a recent poll, Fianna Fáil’s Deirdre Conroy is refusing to accept ‘anything that hasn’t happened’ while Claire Byrne insists the by-election has been a ‘unifying experience’ for the Greens

Councillor Claire Byrne argues that a Green TD will be more effective on issues like climate action and housing. Picture: Fergal Phillips

“It’s a pity you can’t do something about Nphet,” was the blunt message from one woman who met Deirdre Conroy, Fianna Fáil’s by-election candidate, on the campaign trail.

“For the last 16 months they have been running the country. Not Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael or anybody. Just them running the country,” she said.

The key role of Nphet in the government’s decision to delay the long-awaited reopening of indoor dining had Conroy on the ...