Mary Lou McDonald Now As Likely As Leo Varadkar To Be Taoiseach Next Week

Mary Lou McDonald is now rated as likely as Leo Varadkar to be the Taoiseach after Saturday’s general election according to the latest odds after Sinn Fein’s rise in the polls continued on Tuesday.

A new Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll, carried out over three days last week, put Sinn Féin ahead in the polls for the first time as their popularity soared to 25%. That put them ahead of Fianna Fáil who were down two points at 23% and Fine Gael who were left trailing in third on 20%.

The new figures triggered a further gamble on Sinn Féin’s election prospects, with their original quote of 66/1 for winning most seats now at a low of 6/1 at BoyleSports, the same price as Fine Gael.

That makes Mary Lou McDonald the joint second favourite at 6/1 with Leo Varadkar to be the Taoiseach when the votes are counted.

The odds are also suggesting a much larger presence in the Dáil for Sinn Fein as the betting is now split at 5/6 apiece as to whether they will fall under or over the 30-seat mark.

Fianna Fáil are still favourites to be the largest party despite drifting to 1/6 from 1/9 after the latest polling figures were published.

*Prices correct at time of publication