Constituency: Dún Laoghaire

Maria Bailey (39) has been a member of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council since she was 27. First elected in 2004 for Fine Gael, the mother-of-two took her seat on the same day as her father John Bailey. A sufferer of migraines since she was 16-years-old, Cllr Bailey has been an avid campaigner in promoting awareness of the condition. Ms Bailey cites her areas of interest as planning, job creation and housing. She says that any future housing policy should support both private and social units.

Following two unsuccessful bids in 2002 and 2007, Richard Boyd Barrett (47) was elected to the Dáil in 2011. He is a founding member of the People Before Profit Alliance., and has campaigned against austerity measures, water charges, as well as the bank bailouts and National Asset Management Agency (NAMA). Prior to taking his seat in Dáil Éireann, the left-wing activist was elected to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2009.

Running for Renua Ireland in Dun Laoghaire, Frank Cronin (53) is among a handful of the party’s general election candidates willing to back the idea of changing Ireland’s abortion laws. On the issue, Mr Cronin favours change and says that there should be an open debate on the matter. The former chief executive for Newstalk and the Sunday Tribune said that he wants to see the Dun Laoghaire turned into a hub for business, saying there was a lot of potential to develop several areas in the constituency to better promote local job creation. This is Mr Cronin’s first time running for election and, also, his first time attaching his name to a political party.

Cormac Devlin (35) has sat on the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council since 2004. When first elected, he was the youngest person ever to serve as councillor for the area. One of two Fianna Fáil candidates for Dun Laoghaire, Cllr Devlin threatened legal action if the party attempted to impose gender quotas during the nominations for who would run in the constituency. Involved in several community groups, the father-of-three wants to see rent allowance caps raised to help find accommodation for the homeless. He has also said that a tougher approach on crime is urgently needed.

A long-standing member of Fianna Fáil, Mary Hanafin (57) first entered the Dáil in 1997 and was a TD until 2011 when she failed to get re-elected. The former TD has served as Government Chief Whip, Minister for Education, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. She was also briefly deputy leader of Fianna Fáil in 2011 before she lost her seat. Ms Hanafin was elected to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2014. As a councillor she claims not to take expenses but instead continues to draw her various state pensions accruing from her time in office.

A native to Blackrock, Carol Hunt (48) is running as a candidate under the Independent Alliance banner. The Sunday Independent journalist is a regular media panellist and is a passionate advocate for reproductive rights. A top priority for her campaign is setting a date a referendum on repealing the 8th Amendment. Other key issue for her include mental health, debt forgiveness, child poverty, Dáil reform, and protecting the most vulnerable in society.

Mary Mitchell O’Connor (56) was elected as TD for Dún Laoghaire in 2011. She received 16 pc of first preference votes as a first time candidate for Fine Gael. The 56-year-old was first elected to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council as a Progressive Democrat in 2004. She later joined Fine Gael in 2007. She is a member of a number of committees, including the Committee on Health and Children and the Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs. Among the issues Deputy O’Connor focuses on are education, domestic violence, childcare and improved support for small businesses.

The youngest candidate running in Dun Laoghaire, Shane O'Brien (29) was elected to the area’s local council in 2014 on his first attempt. He topped the poll for the Killiney-Shankill ward and took a seat on Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council with 12.77 pc of first preference votes. He has served on a number of local committees and says his top priority is ensuring that the needs of those living and working in the Dún Laoghaire constituency are met in a socially, economically and equitable manner.

Labour’s Carrie Smyth (43) was co-opted to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2003 following the death of her late father Frank Smyth. A sitting member ever since, the popular councillor has more than a decade of experience dealing with issues close to voters in the constituency. This will be Cllr Smyth’s first general election campaign, and among her key issues is finding a solution to the housing shortage that both satisfies those in need of social housing and those looking to buy.

Ossian Smyth has been a Green Party councillor for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council since 2014. He is the Party’s Spokesperson for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and works as a technical project manager at St Vincent’s Hospital. His campaign seeks to improve qualify of life in the Dun Laoghaire constituency, and includes a pledge to maintain roads, investment in public transport and local schools, and protecting areas such as beaches and parks from development. Cllr Smyth also wants to reform the rental sector so tenants have more rights and a better understanding of how and when their rent will rise.

The founder of Direct Democracy Ireland, Raymond Whitehead run unsuccessfully in numerous local, general and European elections over the years. Based in Sandyford, the former Independent seeks to introduce 'direct democracy' - whereby TDs would be directly answerable to their constituencies and face recalls if they prove unpopular. State policy too would be voted on by the public. DDI also calls for citizen-lead referendums, where anyone who gathered enough signatures could force a referendum.