THIRTEEN CANDIDATES have been confirmed for the by-election for the vacant Dáil seat in Dublin West.

The by-election, being held on October 27, is to fill the vacant Dáil seat left by the former Fianna Fáil TD and minister Brian Lenihan, who passed away in June.

Seven candidates from registered political parties will take part, including candidates representing all five of the groupings already in the Dáil.

Labour’s Patrick Nulty is the bookmaker’s favourite to take the seat and join his party colleague, social protection minister Joan Burton, in the Dáil.

He is trailed by Eithne Loftus of Fine Gael, who is hoping to join transport minister Leo Varadkar as a Dáil deputy, and Ruth Coppinger of the Socialist Party, a longtime party colleague of Joe Higgins.

Sinn Féin is putting forward Paul Donnelly, while Fianna Fáil will hope that David McGuinness can retain the party seat – which is Fianna Fáil’s only representation in the greater Dublin area.

The Green Party’s Roderic O’Gorman is running in the hopes that he can return his party to the Oireachtas, after it lost all of its Dáil and Seanad seats earlier this year, while Peadar O’Ceallaigh of Fís Nua completes the party lineup.

As has become customary in Dáil by-elections, a number of candidates are running despite not living in the constituency – three of the six independent candidates do not live in Dublin West, and therefore cannot vote for themselves.

Among the independents candidates from outside the constituency boundaries is Gary Bermingham – an artist perhaps better known for his guise as ‘Councillor’ Terry Ghusto.

The other two are FÁS employee Benny Cooney, who ran in the general election in both Dublin Central and his native Longford-Westmeath, and Jim Tallon, an Arklow-based farmer and veteran of six general elections.

The three locally-based candidates are Barry Caesar Hunt, a former contestant in TV3′s The Apprentice; architect Brendan Doris, and retired fire officer John Kidd.

Voting will take place alongside the Presidental election and two referenda on October 27. Registration for voting has already closed.