Constituency: Louth

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams (68) was first elected to the Dáil for Louth in 2011, topping the poll with 21.7 pc of first preference votes Deputy Adams amassed 15,072 votes in the last general election, which was only surpassed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Independent Shane Ross. He was one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement with ended much of the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and lead to a power-sharing agreement between the leading Irish nationalists and Unionist parties. Having served as a British MP for Belfast West for 26 years, Mr Adams resigned his seat and subsequently ran, and was elected, as a candidate in the 2011 Irish general election. In the run up to the 2016 general election Mr Adams has been linked to a number of IRA-related controversies. He has been leader of the Sinn Féin party since 1983.

As a “Christian Candidate” for Louth, David Bradley's main priority is to spread the message of God and show voters that God is the only one who can lead the country. A pension fund operations manager by profession, he garnered some 174 votes when he ran unsuccessfully in the 2011 general election.

Fianna Fáil’s Declan Breathnach (57) has been a local councillor for Louth since 1991. Twice council chair, he is contesting the 2016 general election on a platform calling for more jobs for Louth. With jobs, he says, public services will suffer due to declining tax revenue. The former principal of St Paul’s National School in Drogheda, Cllr Breathnach polled at 7.5 pc during his unsuccessful 2011 general election bid.

Independent candidate Kevin Callan resigned from Fine Gael in 2014 over the introduction of water charges. A practising barrister, he has been a local councillor in Louth since 2009 and is a former mayor of Drogheda. He will contest the general election under the banner of Independent Alliance, and lists healthcare and rural crime as priorities.

The second member of Fianna Fáil’s ticket in Louth, Emma Coffey (37) is a Drogheda based solicitor. Among the areas of focus for the Dundalk native include childcare, housing, family law and addressing the constituency’s unemployment issues. In her own words, Ms Coffey believes that her party have a responsibility to ensure the country’s recovery is equally shared by all regions.

Suicide prevention campaigner Anthony Connor (42) is the Direct Democracy Ireland candidate for Louth. Active in the local opposition against water and household charges, Mr Connor is a member of SOSAD Ireland, an Irish suicide prevention and bereavement support charity. The former retail manager supports his party’s campaign to introduce citizen initiated referendums. This is his first time running in a general election, having previously unsuccessfully contested the 2014 local elections.

Former senator Mark Dearey (52) is running for the Green Party in Louth on a platform of tackling local deficiencies in primary care, education, housing, policing. The owner of a well known music venue in Dundalk, Mr Dearey has run in a number of local, general, and European elections. He was first Green Party councillor to be elected in Louth in 2004, he was re-elected in 2009 before being elevated to the Seanad. Mr Dearey first came to prominence during the early 1990s when he, and three others, took a court action to stop nuclear reprocessing at the Sellafield site in the UK.

Former Louth footballer Peter Fitzpatrick (53) was elected TD for Louth in 2011 after he allowed his name to go forward for Fine Gael. The former county football manager has kept a relatively low profile over the last four years. Among the issues he has raised in the Dáil include broadband services outside of Dublin, hospital waiting lists, and tackling burglaries in rural Ireland. The Dundalk native served three years in the army and captained the GAA senior football for Louth for five years during his 16 years with the side. Having retired for playing, he took over as manager in 2009 and led the squad to the Leinster finals in 2010. Deputy Fitzpatrick had announced that he would not contest the 2016 general election last year but has since said he will seek to retain his seat.

The second of two Direct Democracy Ireland candidates for Louth, Pat Greene (52) is an active campaigner against water and household charges. The leader of Direct Democracy Ireland since 2014, he advocates for citizen initiated referendums and for independent public oversight of policy decisions and political appointments. Among his key issues is housing, rent control, halting evictions, and in rolling back on service cuts, especially in health, policing, and education. He ran unsuccessfully for Louth County Council in the 2014 local elections

Labour Senator Mary Moran (55) is contesting Louth on a platform of improved services and employment opportunities for the region. Her party’s Upper House Spokesperson for Education, Disability, Mental Health and Equality, the Dundalk was evaluated to the Seanad after an unsuccessfully 2011 general election bid. The former secondary school teacher received 6.6 pc of votes at the time. She is the sister of former MEP Emer Costello.

Long-time Sinn Féin member Imelda Munster is contesting her first general election for the party as she runs for one of the five Dáil seats in Louth. Elected a councillor in 2004, she topped the poll in Drogheda during the 2014 local elections with just over 16.7 pc of the first preference votes. A former member of the Louth/Meath Education and Training Board, she wants to see an end to domestic water charges and the property tax.

Ged Nash (39) is the sole Labour TD for the Louth/East Meath constituency and the “Super Junior” Minister for Business and Employment. First elected to the Dáil in 2011, the 40-year-old Labour TD previously served as a councillor for Louth and Drogheda. At 28 years-of-age he was the youngest person to ever to be elected Mayor of Drogheda. On entering the Dáil, he was appointed vice chair of the Labour Parliamentary Party. Since then he has served on three Oireachtas Committees: the Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Committee of Public Accounts. By his own account, he lists his priorities as protecting workers’ rights and job creation via ongoing support for SMEs. Mr Nash suffers from Crohn's disease and has spoken openly about the condition. In 2014, he addressed the largest meeting of specialists in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Europe.

First elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2002 general election Fergus O’Dowd (67) has held a number of senior positions on the Fine Gael Front Bench. Formerly a Senator (1997 to 2002) and Mayor of Drogheda, the 67-year-old was elected a TD for Louth on his fourth attempt. A teacher before entering politics, Deputy O’Dowd has a keen interest in the Irish language, regularly spending time in Gaeltacht regions, and is the founding chairman of the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda. He served as Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources and Environment, Community & Local Government, with responsibility for the NewEra Project between 2011 and 2014. Prior to the 2011 general election, he supported Richard Bruton's leadership challenge to Enda Kenny.

Two-time Mayor of Drogheda and special needs advocate Michael O'Dowd is running for Renua Ireland. The former Louth county councillor lost his seat in 2014 when Fine Gael ran five candidates, including his nephew, in the 10-seat Drogheda area. Following this Mr O’Dowd left the party and became a founding member of the social enterprise Ablevison, which helps people with intellectual disabilities speak up for themselves. For Louth, he wants boost employment by moving job creation from city areas to rural communities. He is brother to outgoing Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd.

People Before Profit Alliance candidate for Louth Garrett Weldon (44) wants to revitalising towns and villages by creating financial services that are solely aimed at local enterprise. Alongside strong local economies, the prominent anti-austerity campaigner lists the abolishment of water and household charges and overhauling the health service as other priorities. A father-of-two, Mr Weldon has pledged to only take the average industrial wage from his TD’s salary if elected, with the remainder, including expenses, being donated to local charities and community groups.

The second candidate in Louth to stand under the umbrella of the Independent Alliance, Dundalk councillor Maeve Yore (50) is running for one of the five Dáil seats in the constituency. Elected to Louth County Council in the last local election with 11.58 pc of first preference votes, Cllr Yore believes that a zero tolerance stance needs to be taken against crime. A qualified special needs assistant, the mother-of-four also wants to see more resources earmarked to support the elderly, young people, and those with disabilities.