Irish election: A look back at the first week of canvassing

This is also an election where immigration is among the big-ticket issues.

An influx of refugees and asylum seekers to Ireland during the term of the outgoing government has resulted in an accommodation crisis.

During the lifetime of the government there has been strong, and sometimes violent, local community opposition as government agencies attempted to place international protection applicants in various communities around the country.

Some of the opposition to the proposed emergency accommodation has been anti-immigrant, promoted by far-right activists.

However, much of it has been due to concerns about inadequate local public services and the inability of local communities to cater for sudden increases in their populations, particularly around education and medical services.

The reason for countless public protests around the country in recent years has already been made clear to government and opposition politicians during the opening week of this election campaign.

However, one refugee advocate has already noted that there has not been the same “tension” around the issue so far in the election campaign.