No Lucan TDs after general election shift
By Maurice Garvey
AS ONE of the constituencies that was dominated by the government parties following the 2011 General Election, Dublin Mid-West was always expected to see change once the results of the 2016 General Election began to unfold.
It became apparent within the first round of counting that the outgoing Fine Gael/Labour coalition would lose two of its seats in the four-seat constituency as Labour’s Joanna Tuffy and Fine Gael’s Derek Keating fáiled to nab a significant amount of first-preference votes – outgoing Labour TD Robert Dowds did not contest this election.
There was a strong air of excitement early on in the Citywest count centre for Dublin Mid-West as the final tally showed that Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin would not only top the poll, but become a first-time TD once the first count was announced – he was deemed elected with 22.7 per cent of the final poll and 9,782 first preference votes.
Fine Gael Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald’s support across the constituency also held strong in the election with 20.9 per cent of the poll and 9,028 first preference votes, and a media scrum descended on her as she arrived to the centre, eagerly awaiting the first count announcement and her re-election to the Dáil.
Although it became clear quite early on that Fianna Fáil’s John Curran would make a triumphant return as a TD and that AAA/PBP candidate Gino Kenny would be elected to the Dáil for the first time, it was not until the 12th count just after midnight that both of their fates were sealed.
A consistent transfer rate with each count ensured John Curran’s place in the third seat, and he was deemed elected on the 12th count with 9,497 votes on the last count bringing him comfortably above the quota following transfers from Social Democrat’s Anne-Marie McNally.
Despite a strong showing for the Social Democrats with first preference votes, McNally fáiled to pick up transfers as the counts went on, ensuring that Gino Kenny would grab the fourth seat.
At the end of the 12th count, the returning officer for Dublin Mid West decided that the gap between Gino Kenny and Anne-Marie McNally was too large, and deemed Gino Kenny elected with 7,911 – just over 700 votes behind 8,621 the quota for Dublin Mid West.
Dublin Mid-West voter turnout
NOT a single Lucan candidate was elected in Dublin Mid West – the first time this has happened since the constituency was created for the 2002 General Election.
Three of the four elected candidates are living in Clondalkin, with Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald (FG) living in Castleknock.
Voter turnout for Lucan in GE16 was 57 per cent – slightly below the constituency average turnout of 62.8 per cent.
One of the seven boxes at the Scoil Mhuire polling station had a voter turnout as low as 31.3 per cent, whilst another box in Lucan Educate Together was 43.1 per cent.
Former Mid West TDs Joanna Tuffy (Lab), Derek Keating (FG) and Paul Gogarty (Ind), fáiled in their bid to get re-elected – all finishing below newcomer Anne-Marie McNally (SD).
READ MORE:
