Cork East

• No of Seats: 4
• No of Male Candidates: 11
• No of Female Candidates: 2
• Total number of GE11 candidates: 13
• No of sitting TDs: 3
• No of sitting Senators: 0
• No of sitting Councillors: 5
• No of sitting MEPs: 0
• Population (2006): 100,168
• Population per TD*: 25,042
• Average Population per TD*: 25,541
• Variance (from average): -499
• % Variance: -1.95%
  

Clare

• No of Seats: 4
• No of Male Candidates: 13
• No of Female Candidates: 3
• Total number of GE11 candidates: 16
• No of sitting TDs: 3
• No of sitting Senators: 0
• No of sitting Councillors: 2
• No of sitting MEPs: 0
• Population (2006): 105,571
• Population per TD*: 26,392.75
• Average Population per TD*: 25,541
• Variance (from average): 851.75
• % Variance: 3.33%
  

Cavan-Monaghan

• No of Seats: 5
• No of Male Candidates: 9
• No of Female Candidates: 5
• Total number of GE11 candidates: 14
• No of sitting TDs: 3
• No of sitting Senators: 1
• No of sitting Councillors: 4
• No of sitting MEPs: 0
• Population (2006) 120,000
• Population per TD* 24,000
• Average Population per TD* 25,541
• Variance (from average) -1541
• % Variance -6.03%
  

Approximately 4,000 student nurses and midwives took to the streets of the capital today to protest against Government plans to phase out and eventually eliminate their pay. By Alison Spillane

Today's protest marked the second phase of a campaign of resistance launched last week by student nurses and midwives in conjunction with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), Siptu, and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).

[Pictured: Student nurses Niamh Murphy and Alice Taylor at today's protest]

Cuts in funding and resources hit those schools which cater for children with special needs and children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds hardest, and are being imposed across the public education system. Meanwhile, private fee-paying schools, which rank 'close to the bottom of the table' in their provision for children with learning difficulties, received €100 million in state subsidies last year. Alison Spillane reports.

This week student nurses and midwives began a concerted campaign against the government's plans to cut their pay with protests at hospitals across the country.

On Wednesday (9 February), around 3,500 students staged demonstrations at 13 hospitals in the first phase of a campaign of resistance against planned pay cuts. The campaign is supported by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association (INMO) and students were joined at the protests by their qualified staff colleagues.

A meeting of left-wing political parties at the weekend showed that while points of consensus on left unity exist, the obstacles are many. By Alison Spillane

A coalition of trade unions and community sector organisations marked the cutting of the National Minimum Wage with a protest outside Leinster House today entitled 'Ireland's Day of Shame'. By Alison Spillane

Speaking at the ceremony, hotel worker Bernie Casey described the move as a 'disgrace', and said that taking €40 a week out of the household budget [of tens of thousands of families] was shameful. "What chance have we of living in decency and providing for our families on €7.65 an hour?", she asked.

After an extraordinary week in Irish politics, the question of the Fianna Fáil leadership is finally resolved. Politico looks at one of the pretenders to the throne – Finance Minister Brian Lenihan – and assesses the Lenihan history within the party and how he scuppered his long-awaited shot at the party leadership.

Micheál Martin was elected the eighth leader of Fianna Fáil this afternoon. The vote was conducted by secret ballot and took place at Leinster House.

At 3pm today Fianna Fáil broke the news via Twitter that Micheál Martin had won the leadership contest to become the eighth leader of the Republican Party, defeating Eamon O'Cuív, Brian Lenihan, and Mary Hanafin in the leadership contest.