Independent candidates performed strongly in the election to Louth County Council, taking seven of the 29 seats on the local authority.

In Dundalk South, Independent Maeve Yore was reelected on the first count with 2,150 votes, the largest first preference haul in the county. In Ardee, Independent Jim Tenanty was first person elected, being returned after the ninth count.

While Sinn Féin had a disappointing day in many areas, the party held on to its seven seats in Co Louth. It won a lion’s share of first preference votes, but in some local electoral areas these were split between two and three candidates. Had Sinn Féin run fewer people it would likely have had a higher number of councillors elected.

Drogheda Urban proved to be an interesting local electoral area with more than 20 candidates on the ballot paper. The first candidate elected here was Labour’s Pio Smith, who had to wait until the ninth count.

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In 2019, Labour members described the outcome of the local election – in which it secured three seats – as “a red wave”. This year, however, the party lost one of those, with just Cllr Smith and Michele Hall, who topped the poll in Drogheda Rural, elected.

Fianna Fáil made significant strides here five years ago, but this time around it lost a seat to Fine Gael. The two main Government parties each have six councillors on the local authority.

The Green Party retained one seat, with the re-election of Marianne Butler in Dundalk South. She was first elected to Dundalk Town Council in 2009, and co-opted onto Louth County Counil in 2010. Since then, she has since been re-elected three times.

It was a disappointing weekend for the Social Democrats and People Before Profit-Solidarity, with no candidate from either party securing a seat.

Ardee: 6 seats

Drogheda Rural: 4 seats

Drogheda Urban: 6 seats

Dundalk – Carlingford: 6 seats

Dundalk South: 7 seats

[ View 2019 Louth County Council resultsOpens in new window ]

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