Constituency: Dublin Rathdown

Topping the poll in the 2011 election general with almost a quarter of the first preference votes cast in Dublin South, Independent TD Shane Ross (66) looks like a safe bet to retain his seat in the newly created Dublin Rathdown constituency. Prior to taking his seat In the Dáil, the 66-year-old was the longest serving member of the Seanad where he had a sat since 1981. A former Business Editor of the Sunday Independent, he sat as a member of the Public Accounts Committee of the 31st Dáil. He is a founder member of the Independent Alliance; an alliance made up of like-minded independent TDs, senators, and election candidates. Deputy Ross lists his priorities while in office as reforming the Dáil, the banking sector, and corporation tax. In the past he has spoken out against water fluoridation.

Peter Mathews (64) is running as an Independent in 2016 after he was expelled from Fine Gael in 2013 following his refusal to vote for the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act. He was first elected to Dublin South for his former party in 2011. Prior to taking his Dail seat, he worked for more than 20 years as a qualified Chartered Accountant. The father-of-four has written extensively on the financial crash in Ireland, and lists reforming the finance sector as among his top priorities.

Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter (64) was first elected to the Dáil in 1981 but lost his seat in 2002. He was re-elected in 2007 and after the 2011 general election was given the Justice and Defence portfolios. He resigned from Government in 2014 in the wake of Garda controversies. Deputy Shatter, a solicitor and author of legal books, is a father-of-two and has lived all his live in South Dublin.

Labour’s Alex White (56) was elected to the Dáil in 2011 on his third attempt. A practising barrister, he failed to secure a seat in 2007 and again in 2009 during a by-election in Dublin South. Having served as a junior minister from 2012, he was made Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in 2014. Following the resignation of Eamon Gilmore, he unsuccessfully challenged Joan Burton for leadership of the Labour party. Deputy White believes that drug and alcohol abuse are as much health issues as they are law enforcement problems. He is also a strong advocate for universal health insurance.

A councillor for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Catherine Martin (43) is also the deputy leader of the Green Party. A teacher of English and Music, the mother of three was first elected in the 2014 local elections. Ms Martin is keen to return a “green voice” to the Dáil, and says that a lot of job opportunities could be created if the country invested into green technology. She also wishes to support small businesses by developing better local transport services, recreational areas and amenities.

Mary White (71) has been a senator for Fianna Fáil since 2002 when she was first elected to the Seanad by an Industrial and Commercial panel. Born in Dundalk, she is the co-founder of Lir chocolates and acts as Fianna Fáil Upper House Spokesperson on jobs, enterprise and innovation. Senator White has called for Irish Water and water charges to be scrapped, saying the utility is not fit for purpose, and has said that the threshold for inheritance tax should be increased to €400,000.

The sole Sinn Féin candidate for Dún-Laoghaire-Rathdown, Sorcha Nic Cormaic (42) is committed to scrapping water charges and local property tax. A special needs teacher by profession, the 42-year-old was first elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2014 following two unsuccessful general election bids in the 2007 and 2011. The Sinn Féin councillor is committed to fighting against cutbacks in education and is campaigning for increased support for children with special educational needs.

Fine Gael election candidate Josepha Madigan (46) is a member of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Having won 13.68 pc of first preference votes in the Stillorgan Ward, she took her seat following the 2014 local elections. A practicing solicitor for the past 17 years, Ms Madigan believes that more should be done to lift the tax burden on the middle class.

Alan Daveron is a solicitor by profession and is one of 26 Renua Ireland candidates running throughout the country. The man from Goatstown is contesting his first general election.