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Updates from the campaign trail
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2137 Enda Kenny has said that the trust of the electorate was broken after the 2007 election and that 'people were left stranded as incompetence, neglect and political cronyism' had lead to Ireland's current difficulty.
2131 Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said at a meeting in Listowel, Kerry, that 'no incoming Government has ever faced the scale of the economic challenge that the Government picked by the electorate in the forthcoming election will face.'
2120 'An election ago the Fianna Fáil leader would be prancing about the town, meeting whoever came his way, all bonhomie and bluster. Not now however,' Joe Mag Raollaigh notices a few changes as Mícheál Martin visits Longford.
2047 Watch the TG4 three-way leaders' debate again here
2043 Enda Kenny said that the numbers in the public service could be reduced by 30,000 and that this could be done voluntarily.
However, Eamon Gilmore said that this would not be possible.
2042 During the debate, Micheál Martin said that neither Mr Gilmore nor Mr Kenny would reverse any of the cuts brought in by the Government.
2035 An on demand version of the TG4 debate will also be available shortly.
2032 A full transcript of the debate will be available here shortly.
2031 Micheál Martin said that the bank guarantee had been put in place to protect the 1.8m people still working in the country.
He said that if the Labour policy had been implemented at the time that the situation would be ten times worse.
There would be a lot more unemployed, there would be nothing in the ATMs and the banks would have shut, he said.
2030 Enda Kenny said that €35bn had to be put into Anglo Irish Bank because of the stupidity of Fianna Fáil. He also said that the EU/IMF deal should be changed.
2029 Eamon Gilmore said that the country was ruined and that the economy was ruined because of Fianna Fáil. He said the worst decision the Government took was to bailout Anglo Irish Bank.
2027 The leaders of Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil clashed strongly in the first three-way debate of the election campaign.
The debate was broadcast on TG4 at 7pm.
The debate focussed on the banking crisis, the EU/IMF deal, redundancies in the public service, tourism, fishing, farming and the Irish language.
1830 We'll have updates here on the TG4 leaders' debate which will start screening from 7pm. You can watch the debate on the TG4 site here.
1800 A Red C poll for the Irish Farmers Journal suggests that 60% of farmers support Fine Gael, 16% more than a similar poll indicated before the last general election.
Support for Fianna Fáil has dropped from 40% four years ago to 19%.
The survey suggests that Independents' support is at 10%, Labour and Sinn Féin on 5% and the Greens on less than 1%.
1733 The Fine Gael election manifesto proposes the decimation of the Department of Agriculture, claims Brendan Smith.
Mr Smith also claimed the manifesto 'demonstrates a staggering misunderstanding' of the Department.
1634 Enda Kenny says the advertisements placed by the Labour party in the national newspapers today - which are similar to supermarket advertisements - 'smacked of panic' on the part of Labour.
He said he has absolutely no interest whatsoever in ads that were misleading in this election.
1615 'First - with all the aplomb of Marty Whelan and Kathryn Thomas - Joe Curtin and Johnny Curtin . called the winning numbers,' Political Correspondent David Davin-Power discovers what the academics have to say about political reform.
1557 Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said he is 'disappointed' by the placement of negative advertisements by the Labour Party in national newspapers.
1545 Green Party proposals for the reform of the Irish political system include:
. Reduce the number of TDs to 120 with half elected by STV in single seat constituencies
. Elect half of TDs through a top-up list system
. Draft a new Constitution through a Citizens' Assembly
. Fundamental reform of the Seanad
. End corporate donations
1535 'A Fine Gael/Labour Government would have no mandate from the Irish public,' says Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin.
In an interview with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Mr Martin and questioned both parties' stance on the bank guarantee scheme.
On the subject of Irish, Mr Martin said: 'The implementation of Fine Gael's policy on the Irish would signal the death of the language'.
1510 The Green Party is launching its proposals on political reform this afternoon, while Sinn Féin is to publish its proposals tomorrow.
The two parties, who came second last and last in the reformcard.com study, say their detailed proposals were not scored in the process.
Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party said the academics had not given any weight for proposals to change the electoral system, which he described as 'the elephant in the room'.
1500 The most likely outcome of the election is a Fine Gael/Labour coalition, says Green Party leader John Gormley.
Asked about policy differences behests his own party and Fine Gael, he said like everything else, such differences could be worked out after the election.
1418 The Pro-Life Campaign has sent questionnaires to General Election candidates asking them to give a commitment to oppose abortion.
It says it will publish the responses before election day, but will not be endorsing candidates.
It made the announcement after publishing the results of an opinion poll - which it commissioned - that suggests that 68% of the electorate would support constitutional protection for the unborn that prohibits abortion, but allows the continuation of the existing practice of intervention to save a mother's life in accordance with Irish medical ethics.
1355 According to Labour's Pat Rabbitte, most people that he has encountered would not consider a Fine Gael Government as a balanced Government capable of mobilising the national effort
1256 Michael Heverin of the Clonmel Nationalist says health services in the general hospital will be a big election issue in Tipperary South.
1255 Tipperary North has been considered a barometer of Fianna Fáil's national performance in the past, says Anne O'Grady of the Tiperrary Star.
1245 John Donohoe, Editor of the Meath Chronicle, predicts FG will top the poll in Meath West; FF 1 & a four-way fight for the last seat in West. In Meath East, he predicts FG to top the poll again, one FF, and a fight between FG or Labour for the last seat.
1243 Linda O'Reilly, Editor of Anglo-Celt, predictions for Cavan-Monaghan: 2 FG, maybe 2 SF, and 1 FF.
1238 In Louth, Editor of The Argus newspaper John Mulligan predicts Fergus O'Dowd, Fine Gael, will top the poll, and Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams will take a seat. However, the others are open.
1236 No-one wants to cut social welfare, but we are where we are and the only answer is to create jobs, says Ó Muirí. Fine Gael has made clear that Independents holding a government to ransom is completely out of the question, he adds.
1235 Eamon Walsh, an Independent running in Galway West, says party politics has let us down. The key now are local issues with a national context. He says the focus needs to be on the cuts to disability services - stop making cuts that hurt the vulnerable.
1232 Fianna Fáil's Michael Kennedy says the social welfare bill is too large and allowances like child benefit should be targeted to those who need.
1231 On child benefit, Mr Ó Muirí says that families over €60k, €70k etc might still be in negative equity and need those kind of allowances.
1230 FG has a plan to protect pensions to help the poor. But jobs are the most important thing, says Naoise Ó Muirí.
1228 Fine Gael has scored the highest among all the political parties for its proposals on political reform according to a group of political academics.
The group, Reformcard.com, ranked the parties proposals in five areas of political reform; Oireachtas, Electoral, Open Government, Public Sector and Local Government.
The eight academics gave Fine Gael a score of 73% followed by Labour's 68%, Fianna Fail 58%, Green Party 53% and Sinn Féin on 26%.
The group said the scorecard was designed to show the public the strengths and weaknesses of each of party's proposals.
It says that while Fine Gael scored consistently in each of the categories, all parties scored low when it came to the reform of local government.
After the election, the group will continue to monitor the progress of the proposed reforms through their website.
1218 Jack O'Connor is the ultimate pragmatist, and if he has to sit down with a FG minority government, he'll do it. - Brian Dowling.
1217 Paul O'Brien said FG made a 'very explicit threat' on bank negotiation that the new government would 'do it itself' if talks failed.
1216 David McCullagh: Just bumped into a group of retiring FF TDs in the corridor of Leinster House. They looked relaxed and happy. Unlike their colleagues.
1216 Labour has said that if in Government it would be committed to abolishing upward-only rent reviews. The party was launching its plan for retail and small and medium sized enterprises on Grafton St in Dublin this morning.
It also plans to establish a Strategic Investment Bank to invest in infrastructure. It says it would create a €500m jobs fund to suppport busines
Labour held today's news conference at Korky's shoe shop in Dublin where a huge banner has been hanging for some months now saying: 'High Rents Are Killing Our Jobs'.
1214 Speaking after the three-way debate Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said it went very well, that there were good exchanges and he was delighted with it.
1211 Speaking in Co Galway this morning, Eamon Gilmore said both Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael have to 'clarify' how they will fill a €5bn black hole in their finances.
1210 Paul O'Brien, Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner, says his newspaper's poll shows that it is by no means certain that Mr Martin's transfers will secure a second seat for Fianna Fáil in Cork South Central.
1209 RTÉ's Brian Dowling says the main point of the Irish Independent poll is the upward trend for Fine Gael & a slip for Fianna Fáil despite Micheál Martin's popularity.
1155 Last words. Declan Breathnach says he is favour of student loans. Mark Dearey says the relationship between the people and the political class needs to be renewed. Gerry Adams says a vote for Sinn Féin would put manners on the other parties.
1151 The candidates are asked what their big idea is for the next ten years. Ged Nash targets a new constitution and new leadership from politicians. Gerry Adams wants 'a new republic'. Fergus O'Dowd's big idea is better education, while Mark Deary's is a low-carbon economy. And, lastly, Declan Breathnach's big idea is getting back on our feet as a country and regaining our pride.
1150 'People feel like they've been taxed into the grave,' says Frank Godfrey, Independent,
1149 Fred Matthews, Independent, says we need small and medium-sized businesses to drive the economy.
1148 Thomas Clare, Independent, says helping creating jobs in mid-Louth is helping the national economy.
1139 Ged Nash says we need a new government that is respected in European circles.
1138 John Teeling, Chairman of Cooley Distillery, says it is 'absolutely certain that this country will default'. The idea that we can get back to a balanced Budget by 2014 is 'a pipe dream', he adds.
1136 Gerry Adams says EU Commissioner Olli Rehn burned the bondholders in his own country of Finland 20 years ago. He says we cannot afford to pay the private debt of big bankers.
1135 'We need to get people to turn left when they come out of Dublin Airport, rather than right into Dublin city' says Labour's Ged Nash.
1134 Mark Dearey says the Greens want to employ 20,000 people retro-fitting 1m houses over the next ten years.
1132 Fine Gael will create 15,000 places to allow people to upskill. The money will be provided by savings in other areas, says Fergus O'Dowd.
1127 The Green Party's Mark Dearey says that Gerry Adams came down 'with a bluffer's guide to the Irish economy'. Adams says he will not be lectured by the Greens on the economy, given the mess they made of it.
1126 Adams says he is not interested in Eamon Gilmore's past, but adds that 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander'.
1125 Adams asked again on IRA membership says: 'I wish you wouldn't ask me a question to which you know the answer. The answer is no.'
1124 Gerry Adams says he is worried about real issues. He asks why doesn't anyone ask Eamon Gilmore was he ever a member of the IRA.
1055 'The focus should be on capital projects such as broadband and water network improvements' - Fergus O'Dowd
He says Fine Gael is committed to public services.
1054 There is not enough being done for farming or local tourism, and support needs to be given to local business, says Adams.
1053 Gerry Adams says no money should be put into banks, but should instead be used to create jobs. He adds that he has not accepted that Sinn Féin will not be involved in the next government.
1051 Martina Fitzgerald: 'Sure i'll give you an auld poke' - A look back at some humourous exchanges involving Eamon Gilmore in the campaign trail in Nenagh. Full blog
1050 The unemployment rate in Louth below the national average, says Declan Breathnach.
He later says he is 'not interested in percentages'. The Today with Pat Kenny audience is less than impressed with that remark.
1048 Gerald Nash, Labour, says jobs could be created immediately in fixing appalling school and hospital conditions.
1047 Fergus O'Dowd acknowledges the part Sinn Féin played in the peace process. He later says Gerry Adams is 'no Michael Collins'.
1045 Reacting to a question from the audience, Gerry Adams says he will support fully the ongoing investigation into the Jean McConville murder.
1044 Declan Breathnach, Fianna Fáil, asks Gerry Adams for an apology for wrongs in the past. Adams says he has already apologised and will again.
1042 Mr Adams says that Fianna Fáil have spent the last 14 years bringing the country to its knees. During that time, he says he put his life on the line trying to bring peace to Northern Ireland.
1040 Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams says he never distanced himself from the IRA and never will. He said he took a political stand, and had paid a personal price.
1035 Declan Breathnach says people are saying they're angry with the negative agenda and posturing by politicians.
1034 Irish people don't want to see undue influence with ministers - as in the Labour/SIPTU alliance - says Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd.
1028 Listen back to Morning Ireland where the Irish Independent's Fionan Sheehan discussed the latest polls, and SIPTU's Jack O'Connor and Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar debate Mr O'Connor's public support for Labour and parties of the left.
1013 Entering the TG4 studios this morning, Micheál Martin said he 'didn't share' the analysis of FF's performance in the forthcoming election based on the latest opinion polls.
He once again challenged the FG leader to explain what he claimed was a €5bn black hole in the party's figures.
Enda Kenny said there was no black hole and it was Micheál Martin who 'had the explaining to do'.
1001 Today with Pat Kenny is broadcasting live from Dundalk to focus on the Louth constituency, where two sitting TDs are retiring and one, Seamus Kirk, is automatically returned.
0830 O'Connor says he will only stop making contributions to Labour when 'big business' stops intervening for centre-right parties, Jack
0820 Leo Varadkar says that Fine Gael wants to work with trade unions but will not be afraid to stand up to trade unions.
Jack O'Connor criticised Fine Gael's proposal to cut 30,000 jobs from the public service. He said it is not wise to start off proposing to cut so many jobs.
0815 Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar and SIPTU President Jack O'Connor discussing whether a single-party government would be good for Ireland on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
