Fine Gael prove most popular in South Galway

Michael Kitt may have received the most votes in the Galway East constituency but Nicola Corless looks at who topped the poll in South Galway.

It took days to reveal definitively who would represent Galway East in the 31st Dáil. After counts, recounts and official confirmation, Fianna Fáil’s Michael Kitt, Fine Gael duo Paul Connaughton Junior and Ciaran Cannon and Labour’s Colm Keaveney were announced as the area’s new deputies. As the ballot boxes were opened on Saturday, tallies painted an interesting picture of who the people of South Galway wanted to represent them.
Boxes from Kilchreest, Peterswell, Castledaly, Kilbeacanty, Kiltartan, Ballyturin, Lough Cutra, Lurga, Tiernevin, Gort, Ardrahan, Kiltiernan, Ballindereen, Kinvara and Dooras show that Fine Gael’s Tom McHugh from Tuam fared worst in the area. Councillor McHugh, who lost out on a seat to fellow Tuam man Colm Keaveney, managed just 46 first preferences from the 17 polling stations. However, clever vote management from Labour and Fine Gael in the constituency might explain why Councillor McHugh and Deputy Keaveney were both conclusively outpolled by party colleagues in the south of the county.
The big winner in South Galway was Ciaran Cannon, the former Progressive Democrat leader and Fine Gael senator. According to the tallies, he managed in excess of 1,450 first preferences from Castledaly to Kinvara, nearly double that of running mate Councillor Jimmy McClearn. Councillor McClearn polled best in Ardrahan, close to the home of Councillor Bridie Willers, who openly supported the Killimor man but even there he was topped by Deputy Cannon and Fianna Fáil’s Michael F Dolan.
Ardrahan and Kilchreest had the highest turnout in the area on Friday according to tallies, which showed voter turnout of 78.3% and 78.1% respectively. In Kilchreest, Councillor McClearn took 26% of the vote, close to double the nearest candidate, Michael Dolan. In Ardrahan though, fortunes were reversed. There, it was Mr Dolan who came out on top scooping more than one fifth of the vote, followed by Fine Gael’s Ciaran Cannon.
The Kiltullagh man did consistently well across the south of the county. He managed more than 300 votes in Gort, the equivalent of a little under 30% of the valid poll there. Loughrea accountant, Mr Dolan polled just 96 votes, less than 10% of the votes cast in the two Gort boxes. The town turnout was the lowest in the area with just 58% of the electorate voting. As expected, Mr Dolan topped the poll in Kilbeacanty, home of Fianna Fáil councillor Gerry Finnerty. Outgoing Fianna Fáil TD Michael Kitt also polled well in the Kilbeacanty polling station, followed by the Fine Gael duo of Deputy Cannon and Councillor McClearn.
Indeed, for Councillor McClearn, the writing was on the wall as more boxes were opened from around the county. While he outdid Councillor McHugh in South Galway, he was consistently outpolled by Deputy Cannon. He managed 9.1% of the overall first preference vote constituency-wide but it wasn’t enough to overtake Councillor McHugh’s 9.8% or Deputy Cannon’s and Deputy Connaughton Junior’s 11.7% and 12.2% respectively.
Across South Galway, Councillor McClearn found himself under pressure. He struggled to pull away from Labour’s Lorraine Higgins and the Fianna Fáil pairing of Mr Dolan and Deputy Kitt.
At the southern end of the constituency, Ms Higgins, an Athenry barrister who ran for the local elections as an independent, secured 12% of the vote, slightly more than the vote of Mr Dolan and incumbent Deputy Kitt. Despite the Labour challenge, particularly in Ballindereen where Ms Higgins polled remarkably well, it was Fine Gael who outshone all in the South Galway tallies with Deputy Cannon managing 24% of the overall vote in the area. Although Councillor McHugh and Deputy Connaughton Junior secured strong votes across Galway East, it didn’t happen for them in South Galway, with the electorate instead leaning towards Deputy Cannon and Councillor McClearn, likely a sign of the excellent vote management that has resulted in a 16-seat bonus across the country.
Across South Galway, Enda Kenny’s party garnered more than 42% of the vote while Fianna Fáil managed just 24%. Independents accounted for nearly 11% of the valid poll, according to the tallies, while Labour scooped more than 14%. Sinn Féin, with just one candidate, Councillor Dermot Connolly, attracted 6% and less than 2% of the vote went to the Greens.