Election 2024

Could well-known criminal Gerry Hutch be elected?

The convicted Dublin criminal, also known as The Monk, received the fourth-highest first preference vote in the four-seat constituency with almost 10 per cent of the vote

Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch arrived at the RDS count centre where he was running as a candidate in Dublin Central. Video: Enda O'Dowd
Sun Dec 01 2024 - 13:41

Gerard Hutch, the Dublin crime figure also known as The Monk, remains in strong contention to win the fourth and final seat in the Dublin Central constituency.

Hutch (61), a surprise contender in the election when he lodged papers earlier this month declaring his candidacy, received 3,098 first preference votes, or 9.5 per cent of the vote in the first count.

[ Update: Gerry Hutch loses out in Dublin Central  ]

The vote put him in fourth position in the race in the four-seater constituency behind three sitting TDs – Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Fine Gael Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon.

McDonald was elected on the third count on Saturday evening, with Gannon elected on the eighth count on Sunday morning, with Donohoe due to be elected next.

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The transfer of Malachy Steenson’s votes edged Hutch edged closer to the quota, but that appeared to be the last of the friendly transfers for him as Labour’s Marie Sherlock benefited greatly from Gannon’s surplus, securing an extra 716 votes.

The ninth count saw Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe still shy of the quota at 6,275 votes, followed by Hutch on 5,039 votes, Labour’s Marie Sherlock on 4,557 votes and Fianna Fáil’s Mary Fitzpatrick on 2,802 votes.

Fitzpatrick’s votes are now being distributed.

Observers initially gave Hutch little chance, but he secured a large following in the north inner city, where he comes from, and picked up significant support in other areas.

[ Dublin Central election 2024 results: Mary Lou McDonald elected; Gerry Hutch in contention for a seat ]

Donohoe told reporters at the Dublin Central count centre at the RDS in south Dublin on Saturday night that the majority of people in his constituency didn’t vote for Hutch but that other parties “will have to reflect on what are the reasons as to why this happened, why he got the votes that he did”.

Gannon said Hutch’s candidacy was unexpected but attributed his popularity to the media attention he received and the hurt felt for a long period by the Dublin inner-city community.

[ Election 2024: Five things we learned from the first day of the counts ]

“For me, it’s not just about what happens and who takes the fourth seat. I think it’s a reflection of the fact that there’s a lot of hurt; there’s a huge amount of pain,” he said.

The Social Democrats TD said that years of austerity had “destroyed the fabric of communities”, including those in Dublin Central.

He described the support for Hutch not as a “protest vote” but a “cry for help”.

Hutch’s electoral challenge is all the more surprising given it comes a year and a half after the end of the Regency Hotel trial during which Hutch was accused of the murder of gangland rival David Byrne.

The 2016 attack marked an escalation in the bloody feud between the Hutch and Kinahan gangs which would eventually leave 18 people dead, including Hutch’s brother and two nephews.

Hutch was later acquitted of the murder by the Special Criminal Court, which rejected the evidence of former Sinn Féin councillor and Hutch associate Jonathan Dowdall who turned State’s witness.

The court concluded he did have control of the three assault rifles used in the murder and that Hutch was planning to give these to dissident republicans. However, Hutch was never charged with this offence.