BUMP to Include City of Limerick, Munster completed now.
City of Limerick:
Constituency includes the City of Limerick, Mungret, Castletroy, Various inner and semi-Outer suburbs, most of the rest of County Limerick not included in "Limerick Outer" except for the area around Castleconnell and the Shannon Basin which will go into another constituency.
The City of Limerick has something of a bad reputation in Ireland to put it mildly, anyone who read or seen Frank McCourt's
Angela's Ashes would be aware of why so, or of the moniker "stab city" which the place has been given. Unsurprising in an area known for Unemployment, emigration and high rates of crime. And even today with the Celtic Tiger this remains very true as one could see in recent news reports about local redevelopment in some of the council-style estates in the entire republic. Areas such as these tend to be populist-Labour related strongholds and the City does have a nationalist history aswell; playing it's role in the war of independence first as a IRA stronghold and then there was the
Limerick Soviet and supporting the illregular IRA in the Civil war which suggest a long history of left-wing nationalism and radicalism. Yet Limerick City despite it's time is not just the city and features some of wealthy and leafy areas on it's outskirts - places like Castletroy which was once a stronghold of the Progressive Democrats though the absence of the region around Castleconnell into Lower Shannonside deprives them of a major part of a liberal Conservative base. Alot would depend on Turnout. Though Limerick East (which admittely is somewhat of a different constituency) does not seem to have a lower-than-usual turnout - it's hard to see the votes in this hypothetical not divided by class, though in saying that for one of the more class-divided parts of Ireland it rarely ever votes that way in the Republic. Though even by Irish standards Limerick politicians can be slightly, well, chalemonic with their politics. (Though the relative weakness of Unions may also be a factor; certainly in suppressing any potential Labour vote).. Leans Clann na nGael.
Winner of the 2005 General Election: Jan O'Sullivan (Clann na nGael)
