Local elections: Some candidates of interest who made it over the line
Count For The Mcgrath Hall, Dan At Centre Seamus County Papers Cork Picture Fifty Cllr Linehan
As local election counts draw to a close and the focus now shifts to long European counts, hundreds of new and returning councillors will be taking up their seats on local authorities across the country.
The coalition parties have somewhat defied the odds, while Sinn Féin have slumped and will only marginally improve on their 2019 performance.
There have been clear winners and clear losers throughout the days-long counts, but here are just a few interesting candidates who made it over the line.
The big winner in Cork was undoubtedly Fianna Fáil’s Seamus McGrath — brother of Finance Minister Michael McGrath.
He topped the poll in Carrigaline with the highest first-preference vote in the country, taking home 5,191 votes and getting elected on the first count.
He flew over the line with more than two-and-a-half times the quota, with his surplus helping to bring his party colleague Audrey Buckley in on the fourth count.
With such a high first-preference vote, Fianna Fáil would be more than happy to run the younger McGrath brother in a general election, if Michael McGrath opts to head to the European Commission later this year.
In Tallaght, a father and son have won two seats for Fine Gael on South Dublin County Council, with the two being declared elected just hours apart.
Baby Pereppadan first took a seat for Fine Gael in South Tallaght in 2019, holding it for the party and coming in on the sixth count on 1,172 first-preference votes.
Tallaght will be well represented by a strong @FineGael team! Well done Baby Pereppadan & Britto Pereppadan. A great result! #LE24 pic.twitter.com/679IRHZxNw
— Colm Brophy (@brophytalks) June 9, 2024
His son Britto Pereppadan is the first Fine Gael candidate to take a seat in Tallaght Central since Colm Brophy in 2009, having been elected on the ninth count with 1,542 first-preference votes.
In the Kingdom, the Healy-Rae dynasty continues unabated as the children of Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae topped the polls in constituencies across Kerry.
In Killarney, Maura Healy-Rae, daughter of Danny, was elected on the first count with 3,385 first preference votes. This was almost double the quota of 1,785.
Meanwhile, in Kenmare Johnny Healy-Rae, Danny’s son, topped the poll with 3,441 first-preference votes. He improved on his previous result of 3,023 in the 2019 elections.
Finally, Micheal Healy-Rae’s son, Jackie, topped the poll in Castleisland with 3,890 first preference votes and got in on the first count. It’s a slight improvement on his 2019 result, where he took home 2,621 votes.
With three councillors returned, if and when the two Healy-Rae brothers decide to wrap up in Dáil Éireann, they can be well assured that Kerry won’t be kept wanting for another Healy-Rae.
You don’t often see former ministers trying to take seats on the local council, but after defeat in the 2020 General Election, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran easily topped the poll in Athlone to be elected as a councillor on Westmeath County Council.
It could be a first step for the former junior minister in returning to the Dáil, with Mr Moran already indicating his interest in getting back to national politics.
In Donegal, it is very evident that the ongoing mica crisis is still front and centre of local politics in the county, as four candidates for the 100% Redress party have taken seats on the council.
In Buncrana and Carndonagh, both Joy Beard and Ali Farren were elected on the first count having surpassed the quota.
Meanwhile, in Glenties, Denis McGee took home a seat on the 10th count, clinching one of the remaining three seats alongside two Sinn Féin candidates.
Tomás Seán Devine also took a seat on the 10th count in Letterkenny, with the party now solidified as a force on Donegal County Council.
With the election of Cathal Haughey in the Howth-Malahide LEA, any concerns within Fianna Fáil that the Haughey name would fall out of Dublin politics has been vanquished.
The grandson of the controversial former Taoiseach took a seat on the sixth count, having taken home 2,260 first-preference votes.
It keeps the Haughey name within Dublin politics, but not national politics for the time being as long-time TD and son of Charles Haughey, Seán Haughey, announced previously that he would not run again in the next general election.
In Dublin, the far-right did manage to garner enough votes to see two candidates elected to local authorities in the capital.
Prominent anti-immigration activists Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper are to sit on Dublin City Council, with Mr Steenson elected in Dublin North Inner City and Mr Pepper in Ballymun-Finglas.
However, none of the far-right parties have seen a gain in seats, with candidates in the National Party, Ireland First and the Irish Freedom Party all failing to get over the line.