Meet the Cork candidates who got 63 votes between them in the local elections   

The pair, however, are inspiring with their sportsmanship and extended gratitude for everyone who voted for them.

Both say they are keen to build on their experiences for the next elections, and pointed to a number of things that hampered their success on the day. 

While Joel admits his exams took precedence - the candidate is currently studying medicine at UCC - Tamasin believes she was simply ahead of her time. 

She also admitted to avoiding doorsteps, opting not to canvass for the duration of her campaign.

“You’re going to take a couple of slaps in the face because what’s right is right but this is about the children’s future,” she told the Irish Examiner

Ms MacCarthy Morrogh said she ran for election to raise awareness of animal rights organisation Sentient Rights Ireland. The group had endorsed candidates across the country who were all keen to highlight animal rights issues.

“A lot of the time as a campaigner you're often 30 years ahead of your time which can be a pain in the backside for yourself as the individual. However, it's not about you. It’s about the issue. We have a 120m animals slaughtered violently every year in the most horrific fashion.” 

The results did little to dull Tamasin’s sunny disposition.

“I was really happy with the number of votes I got because I thought I’d get way less. My father was a green and originally ran in the same ward that I ran. I remember him taking the Lord Mayor out on bicycle rides, saying we needed cycle lanes. People thought we were insane. He also spoke about how there would be jobs in recycling. Everyone at the time thought this was insane too which is funny when you think of how things are today.” 

The Cork woman said she will be campaigning for animal rights long after the elections. "We are annihilating the biodiversity of our country. It’s no surprise that we are often called the green dessert in the EU.” She is encouraging everyone to use their voices as a way of bringing about change in society.

“There is a lot of armchair banging going on. We’re seeing a lot of keyboard warriors. If you want to take a stand you need to get up off your backside and go about getting it.” 

Meanwhile, Joel Rajesh was forced to make a tough decision he feels may have cost him the election.

“My exams rightly had to take priority over campaigning. If the elections were on any other month, I could have put my full effort into it. I expected this outcome as I was unable to run a full campaign in the end. Unfortunately, the campaign period coincided with some very important exams in my life. I had planned to run a campaign along with studying for exams. However, with the exam pressure in the end I couldn't do this and so I didn't expect to win this time. I know now how the system for registering as a candidate works now and from seeing other candidate's campaigns I am now familiar with the best way to run one for the future.” 

Joel ended his election journey on a positive note.

“I’m really grateful for everyone I met during the process, including the incredibly nice staff at the Cork City Council elections office. I’d like to offer a sincere thank you to everyone who emailed me directly and decided to vote for me. I hope to run a more thorough campaign in the future and would be delighted if they voted for me again. 

"It was a wholly positive experience, from first emailing the elections office to meeting the Returning Officer. Everyone was very supportive and more than happy to guide me along the way. It was a good experience to be able to run and the most surprising thing to me was the number of emails I received after the candidates were announced from various organisations, journalists and citizens.”