Carlow County Council: People Before Profit claim seat for first time
Fianna Fáil secure an impressive 48% of vote in Carlow local electoral area
Loses for Sinn Féin and Fine Gael resulted in wins for Independents, Fianna Fáil and, for the first time in the county, Solidarity - People Before Profit, in Carlow’s 18-seat county council.
With three local electoral areas in the county, the largest was the seven-seat Carlow area.
Local and European PBP candidate Adrienne Wallace secured her place on Carlow County Council by taking the fifth seat in the Carlow LEA, outpolling Fine Gael candidate Wayne Fennell in a tense final count. Her success is a first for the party in the county.
Poor national trends for Sinn Féin were reflected in Carlow, with the party losing two seats, a blow following their success in 2014.
Former Sinn Féin councillor John Cassin, now running as an Independent, was successful in the Carlow LEA, meaning a loss to his former party. In Tullow, Sinn Féin councillor Jim Deane lost out to first-time Fianna Fáil candidate John McDonald, in a very tense eighth and final count.
Local Elections
SEE FULL RESULTSFine Gael suffered the loss of long-standing councillor Denis Foley in Muinebheag, bringing to an end 40 years of public service for the Bagenalstown based councillor. However, Tom O’Neill managed to win back a seat for Fine Gael in the Carlow LEA.
Fianna Fáil polled incredibly well in the Carlow LEA, securing an impressive 48% of the vote to re-elect councillors Fintan Phelan, Andrea Dalton and Ken Murnane. The party also made a gain in Tullow, winning two seats to elect long-standing councillor John Pender and new candidate John McDonald.
It was a good election for the Independents in the county with Charlie Murphy polling well with 1,396 first preferences to take the second seat in the Tullow LEA, while Independent John Cassin held his seat in the Carlow LEA.
(First preference votes: candidates elected in bold)
Carlow: 7 seats
Fintan Phelan (Fianna Fáil) - 1,711 (elected count 1)
Andrea Dalton (Fianna Fáil) - 1,086 (elected count 1)
Fergal Browne (Fine Gael) - 890 (elected count 2)
Ken Murnane (Fianna Fáil) - 793 (elected count 2)
Tom O’Neill (Fine Gael) - 539 (elected count 9)
John Cassin (Ind) - 527 (elected count 9)
Adrienne Wallace (Solidarity-PBP) - 448 (elected count 9)
Wayne Fennell (Fine Gael) - 432
Mary Hande (Aontú) - 310
Ciarán Dooley (Sinn Féin) - 241
Bernard Jennings (Ind) - 234
Kevin Byrne (Labour Party) - 145
Muinebeag: 5 seats
Tommy Kinsella (Fine Gael) - 1,617 (elected count 1)
Andy Gladney (Sinn Féin) - 1,015 (elected count 4)
Willie Quinn (Labour Party) - 983 (elected count 3)
Michael Doran (Fine Gael) - 864 (elected on count 5)
Arthur McDonald (Fianna Fáil) - 853 (elected on count 5)
Josie Daly (Fianna Fáil) - 675
Denis Foley (Fine Gael) - 503
Philip Gahan (Fianna Fáil) - 250
David O’Brien (Ind) - 251
Tullow: 6 seats
John Pender (Fianna Fáil) - 1,446 (elected count 1)
Charlie Murphy (Independent) - 1,396 (elected count 1)
Brian O’Donoghue (Fine Gael) - 858 (elected count 5)
William Paton (Labour Party) - 782 (elected count 5)
John Murphy (Fine Gael) - 697 (elected count 7)
John McDonald (Fianna Fáil) - 430 (elected count 7)
Jim Deane (Sinn Féin) - 561
Billy Nolan (Ind) - 399
Maria Ansbro (Fine Gael) - 369
Helena Byrne (Renua Ireland) - 288
