ATHLONE ANALYSIS
One of the more nail-biting local electoral areas over the weekend’s count was the Athlone Local Electoral Area (LEA). In this six-seat area, three councillors were elected on the first count. In order of their election, they were: Emer Kelly (Independent), John Naughten (Fine Gael) and Tony Ward (Independent).
Later, as the counts continued, the margin between three candidates in contention for the last seat – Fianna Fáil’s James Murray, Fine Gael’s Domnick Connolly, and Sinn Féin’s Sam Brooks – remained too close to call right up until the final count was revealed.
Following the sixth count, which consisted of the distribution of John Naughten’s surplus, Sinn Féin’s Brooks was on 712 votes, Fine Gael’s Connolly on 721 votes, and Fianna Fáil’s Murray on 701 votes. The spread between these three candidates at this advanced stage was just 20 votes.
Following James Murray’s elimination on the eighth count, his transfers were going to decide whether Fine Gael’s Connolly or Sinn Féin’s Brooks took the final seat. Brooks, an 18-year-old man from Taughmaconnell in the south of the county, finished the election on a very respectable 1,078 votes.
Shortly before 3.30 am on Monday morning, Brooks conceded the election to Connolly when tallies of the transfers coming into the ninth count revealed that Murray’s transfers were breaking heavily in favour of Connolly and would push him narrowly ahead of Brooks on the final count.
Following that tense redistribution of Murray’s votes, Returning Officer Caitlin Conneely declared the results of the Athlone LEA’s ninth count. Brooks gained 76 votes from Murray’s elimination, bringing him to 1,078; however, Fine Gael’s Connolly, who was trailing Brooks by 150 votes on the seventh count, received an influx of 373 transfers, pushing him ahead of Brooks and seeing him elected with 1,116 votes without reaching the quota.
Domnick Connolly’s return to electoral politics was described by senior Fine Gael party representatives as a “Lazarus moment” – comparing Connolly’s political comeback to that of a miracle.
Earlier in the proceedings, Cllr Laurence Fallon had secured 1202 first preferences. He was subsequently elected on the third count following the distribution of Tony Ward’s surplus and surpassing the quota of 1403 votes, finishing up with 1497 votes. Meanwhile, John Keogh was the fifth candidate to be elected (seventh count). The current Council Cathaoirleach polled 931 number ones.
Sinn Fein’s Joe Harney, another first-time contender, polled a respectable 405 first preferences and considering the landslide victories of Kelly, Ward and Naughten in this LEA, it was always going to be an uphill battle for him to get elected, particularly when his running mate Sam Brooks was ahead of him by a decent margin of 110 from the outset. Mr Harney was eliminated on the sixth count, having reached 493 votes.
Emmett Corcoran
One of the more nail-biting local electoral areas over the weekend’s count was the Athlone Local Electoral Area (LEA). In this six-seat area, three councillors were elected on the first count. In order of their election, they were: Emer Kelly (Independent), John Naughten (Fine Gael) and Tony Ward (Independent).
Later, as the counts continued, the margin between three candidates in contention for the last seat – Fianna Fáil’s James Murray, Fine Gael’s Domnick Connolly, and Sinn Féin’s Sam Brooks – remained too close to call right up until the final count was revealed.
Following the sixth count, which consisted of the distribution of John Naughten’s surplus, Sinn Féin’s Brooks was on 712 votes, Fine Gael’s Connolly on 721 votes, and Fianna Fáil’s Murray on 701 votes. The spread between these three candidates at this advanced stage was just 20 votes.
Following James Murray’s elimination on the eighth count, his transfers were going to decide whether Fine Gael’s Connolly or Sinn Féin’s Brooks took the final seat. Brooks, an 18-year-old man from Taughmaconnell in the south of the county, finished the election on a very respectable 1,078 votes.
Shortly before 3.30 am on Monday morning, Brooks conceded the election to Connolly when tallies of the transfers coming into the ninth count revealed that Murray’s transfers were breaking heavily in favour of Connolly and would push him narrowly ahead of Brooks on the final count.
Following that tense redistribution of Murray’s votes, Returning Officer Caitlin Conneely declared the results of the Athlone LEA’s ninth count. Brooks gained 76 votes from Murray’s elimination, bringing him to 1,078; however, Fine Gael’s Connolly, who was trailing Brooks by 150 votes on the seventh count, received an influx of 373 transfers, pushing him ahead of Brooks and seeing him elected with 1,116 votes without reaching the quota.
Domnick Connolly’s return to electoral politics was described by senior Fine Gael party representatives as a “Lazarus moment” – comparing Connolly’s political comeback to that of a miracle.
Earlier in the proceedings, Cllr Laurence Fallon had secured 1202 first preferences. He was subsequently elected on the third count following the distribution of Tony Ward’s surplus and surpassing the quota of 1403 votes, finishing up with 1497 votes. Meanwhile, John Keogh was the fifth candidate to be elected (seventh count). The current Council Cathaoirleach polled 931 number ones.
Sinn Fein’s Joe Harney, another first-time contender, polled a respectable 405 first preferences and considering the landslide victories of Kelly, Ward and Naughten in this LEA, it was always going to be an uphill battle for him to get elected, particularly when his running mate Sam Brooks was ahead of him by a decent margin of 110 from the outset. Mr Harney was eliminated on the sixth count, having reached 493 votes.
