Councillors representing coalition parties in Kerry have welcomed the government’s points gain in opinion polls.
In the Irish Times / Ipsos poll, Fianna Fáil has gained three percentage points since December, while Fine Gael has increased support by two.
Sinn Féin remains the most popular political party with 33 per cent support.
It remains ten points ahead of the second most popular party, Fianna Fáil.
However, in last December's Irish Times poll, the main opposition party was 15 points ahead of its nearest challenger.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Kerry County Councillors, who were contacted by Radio Kerry, say they remain cautiously optimistic in light of this new opinion poll.
Fianna Fáil’s Fionnán Fitzgerald says the government’s reaction to the pandemic and the easing of restrictions has likely contributed to the gain.
Mike Kennelly of Fine Gael says the gain on Sinn Féin is because of the opposition's inability to provide a realistic solution to the rise in inflation.
However, Sinn Féin councillor Robert Beasley disagrees, saying those in government are making gains because of their support for Ukrainian refugees, and that his party won't dwell on the results.
The third coalition party, the Greens, who are without political representation in Kerry, stand at 3 per cent in this new poll, a drop of two percentage points.
Fine Gael councillor Mike Foley says it’s because the party has failed on several occasions to understand how rural people survive.
