Now that the starting gun has finally been fired on Election 2024, the ‘official’ canvassing of the Irish electorate is under way. This is despite the fact that most of those aspiring to win or retain seats in the 34th Dáil have been out and about on the campaign trail for weeks.

With election teams scouring the length and breadth of the country from now until late November, and party leaders popping up in the most random locations at what are in fact, incredibly strategic electioneering locations, the goal will be to meet as many voters as possible to earn that all important number one vote.

The more seasoned canvasser will tell you that the tried and tested formula of pressing the flesh, kissing babies and being seen in the right place at the right time is the secret to gathering votes.

Although a new, younger generation of canvasser believes there’s a strong need for digital engagement on top of the more traditional methods, to convince people that their candidate is the right man/woman for the job.

Irish Country Living spoke to two canvassers in the run up to this general election campaign to determine what tactics will be deployed over the coming weeks out and about in rural Ireland.

Eamonn Duigenan: Westmeath

Eamonn Duigenan (72) is a part time dairy farmer from Rochfortbridge, and a former councillor on Westmeath County Council. He is part of outgoing Fine Gael Minister of State Peter Burke’s canvassing team in the Longford Westmeath constituency where there are five seats up for grabs, one more than in 2020.

“I’ve been canvassing since I was in my 20s so it’s always been a tradition in the family,” he says.

“I sat on Westmeath County Council for six years and was always involved in the local community, be that as County Chairman of Macra or through the GAA. It’s a way of life at this stage to be out canvassing during election campaigns.

“I do think social media will play a big role in this campaign because of the short lead-in time but in saying that 80% to 90% will be traditional canvassing, going door to door and getting the candidate out and about where he or she can engage with people and be seen in rural Ireland.

“The tried and tested leaflet drop is very important still and while some people think that canvassers are delighted to push something through a letterbox when no one is home, that is not the case.

“We want to engage voters to find out what are the issues that matter to them and explain what the candidate can do or has done to address these concerns.”

In terms of the issues Eamonn is anticipating facing on the doorsteps, he believes it will be a mix of personal and national.

“I think local issues will dominate this election, just as they did during the local and European elections earlier in the year. Housing is a huge issue for people in rural Ireland. Young people trying and failing to get planning permission for one off rural housing came up time and time again on the local election campaign,” he says.

“The farming community will focus on things like the nitrates directive and inspections and regulations, all of which are putting them under a lot of pressure. Whoever is elected, the next government will have to do a lot more to support farmers across the board.”

Eamonn also says the changing nature of political life, with politicians facing more and more aggression from the public, is making it harder for those who seek election to have a life of public service.

“People are getting more and more demanding from their politicians. There’s a level of greed out there in that people just aren’t satisfied any more. You only have to look at social media and the sniping that goes on at politicians online.

“You can see that is having an effect on people’s decision to remain in politics by the number of Fine Gael TDs who are not running for office again, some of whom have been in politics for years and years.

“The old camaraderie across parties has gone and there’s a toxicity to politics that is forcing people out.”

Regan Maher: Galway East

Over in Galway East, 24-year-old Regan Maher is a member of the canvassing team for Sinn Féin councillor Louis O’Hara who secured a seat on Galway County Council earlier this year.

Athenry native Louis (26) narrowly missed out on a seat in the 2020 election and his team are confident he can claim one now that the constituency has been restored as a four-seater by the Electoral Commission.

Regan believes social media will have a larger role to play in the election campaign in the coming weeks but acknowledges the need to maintain traditional canvassing practises.

“The bread and butter is still the door-to-door canvass where you can give people a sense of who the candidate is,” she says.

“That face-to-face connection is critical and I don’t think it matters how old you are – although I was asked what age I am when I ran in the local elections earlier this year for a seat on Ballinasloe Municipal District Council.

“You only really learn what the local issues are by talking to people and this gives you a familiarity and an understanding of what they need. Once you have that conversation, people see that you know what you’re talking about, that you’re engaged in politics and that tends to move people away from wondering what age you are.”

Regan believes the media are to blame for perpetuating a belief that politics is only for the middle aged and older.

“There is a narrative out there that young people aren’t interested in politics but that simply isn’t true,” she explains.

“I have been interested and involved in politics since I was a teenager when I was involved with Comhairle na nÓg, which sparked the initial interest.

“I knew at that stage that politics was something I wanted to pursue and now I’m fully invested in working to ensure that Sinn Féin has a TD representing Galway East.”

Regan agrees with Eamonn that the duration of the campaign will lend itself to heightened social media engagement with voters.

“Now that we finally have a date, digital campaigning will ramp up as it’s a short lead in to polling day,” she says.

“We will have paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram but the real focus will go on TikTok where we will be pushing for the algorithm to reach as many people as possible. Facebook won’t push paid political content so the reach of TikTok is crucial to finding those people we haven’t already reached organically.

“We are also keen to get footage of Louis out on the campaign trail to prove he has been canvassing in an area. We can then post this to our socials showing people that if they find leaflets on the doormat, that he was in the area and they missed him.

“There is a perception out there that canvassers just want to tick as many houses off the list in terms of leaflet drops but it’s not much use walking away from a house if you haven’t had the chance to talk and really engage with the people living there.”