The general election has not even been held yet but many people in south Donegal are already unhappy.
That’s because, yet again, all of County Donegal is not a constituency in itself, the portion below Laghey having been sliced off and tacked onto Sligo/Leitrim, with north Roscommon stitched on at the southern end.
Many in south Donegal see it as not only an unwieldy geographical arrangement but also one that’s politically hard to reconcile.
Drive northwards from Sligo/Leitrim into south Donegal and the election posters are there to be seen on the poles and signs.
But with one or two exceptions, one cannot but wonder how well these candidates are known to voters.
That’s because the candidates are not from Donegal, rather they are from Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon.
That’s a challenge for the candidates.
But how do people in the south Donegal area feel about it.
Bundoran-based businessman Brian McEniff is a life-long political observer.
But while there is much talk about Donegal being unified as a constituency, former Independent Bundoran Town Councillor Diarmaid Doherty is of the opinion that this will not solve the area’s problems and difficulties.
But what do ordinary voters think?
These are the views of people in Ballyshannon.
