Huge battle in store for four seats in Cahir local elections battle

The battle for seats in the Cahir electoral area in Friday's local elections will be one of the most interesting in the county with the decision of Máirín McGrath, a daughter of TD Mattie McGrath, to enter the fray igniting the contest.
Following the break up of the Clonmel-Cahir electoral area, Cahir moves in with Cashel-Tipperary following the election but retains its own electoral area for the poll itself.
In the former Clonmel-Cahir council, four of the ninie members were from the Cahir area and they are all seeking re-election.
They are Michael Anglim (FF), Martin Lonergan (Indpt), Andy Moloney (Indpt) and Marie Murphy (FG). They are joined on the ticket by Danny Carroll (SF), PJ English (FF), Anita Lonergan (FF) and Mairin McGrath (Indpt).
The break up of the partnership betweeen sitting Cahir councillor Martin Lonergan and the Mattie McGrath team will have a major bearing on the outcome of the elections for the four Cahir seats.
To what extent will that split with Deputy McGrath after a six year partnership and the decision of Máirín McGrath to stand affect voting trend, in particular for Cllr. Lonergan but also for the other three sitting councillors, Andy Moloney, Maria Murphy and Michael Anglin and the three other candidates, PJ English and Anita Lonergan of Fianna Fail and Danny Carroll of Sinn Fein.
Four seats are up for grabs in Cahir with sitting councillors looking over their shoulders at the arrival of Marian McGrath and the support of the Mattie McGrath machine behind her.
She has just completed her degree in economics, politics and law at Dublin City University and is expected to give the sitting councillors a real battle for a seat.
She is up against two sitting councillors that were previously aligned with her father - Cllr. Andy Moloney (Independent), favourite among many to top the poll, who supported Mattie McGrath in their Fianna Fail days; and Cllr.Lonergan, who was the first mayor of the Clonmel borough council that was established after the last local elections five years ago.
Fianna Fail are running the biggest team in the election with three candidates, PJ English and Anita Lonergan joining sitting councillor Michael Anglim
All candidates in Cahir will have confronted the same issues on the canvass - the condition of rural roads, no new social housing builds, broadband and health matters.
There has been little engagement at the doorstep on the referendum or the European election with all focus on local issues and the local election candidates.