IN the last week of the election there was a feeling in other parties that Sinn Féin’s Donna McGettigan would probably not be elected, although some felt she could be in the mix for the last seat.
Ultimately she took the third seat, comfortably elected, in her first tilt for the Dáil.
Not that long ago Sinn Féin were political pariahs, and support for them was seen in many homes as support for a terrorist campaign.
While they always retained a hard core of support nationally, they had very little backing in Clare and outside of their base they were very unlikely to attract transfers.
Clearly that has all changed now as they have won a seat in the county for successive elections.
Ms McGettigan took 7,843 first preferences, almost 13% of the vote, leaving her in third place after the first count marginally ahead of Joe Cooney and more than 2,500 ahead of Leonora Carey in fifth position.
It never looked likely that both of the Fine Gael candidates would overtake her, and in fact she turned out to be very transfer friendly herself, something that several people in other parties said was down to the warmth of her personality and her good manner when interacting with voters.
While it was a fairly turbulent campaign for Sinn Féin in general, she said she was fairly hopeful, having noticed more enthusiasm for the party among voters as the election was getting closer.
“In the last two to three weeks of the campaign we saw massive change. People were answering the door to us and they had read our policies, they were questioning us on the policies, which was very positive.
“They were willing to engage, some of them were saying they were voting for us for the first time, some said they would give us transfers, it was very positive in the last few weeks. We could see it,” she said.
She added 4,193 votes to her first preferences over the course of the count, and she said it points to a changing of attitudes towards Sinn Féin.
“People are starting to give us a chance, even if it is a second or third preference. We are transfer friendly now which is good for us going forward. I want to thank everyone who voted for us and anyone who gave us a transfer, that’s what has got us here,” she said.
“And the team were just incredible, the team we had did an incredible amount of work. They were dedicated and they were there day in and day out.”
She says she really enjoyed the campaign, which followed on from her winning a seat on Clare County Council.
“I love getting out on the doors. I would consider myself a people person, I love a good debate sometimes and people had read our policies and had one or two questions. They understand we have good policies, policies that suit communities and working families and we are on the road for change. Hopefully we will work for that change and get a united Ireland,” she said.
While ending partition is something that barely featured in any discussion of the election it is a huge priority for Sinn Féin, which is by some distance the largest political party on the island of Ireland.
Ms McGettigan said it is something that can be advanced in the coming years.
“There are an awful lot of parties and groups coming together to talk about that and the whole citizens’ assembly will be very important on that. It will get every view on that, the views of people who may not want a united Ireland, it’ll get them talking and it’s really important to bring everybody on board,” she said.
The result this weekend clearly shows that Violet Anne Wynne’s victory under the Sinn Féin banner in 2020 was not a fluke, and Ms McGettigan said the party is still growing.
“The previous election to that (2016) we had a very good strong vote as well, Noeleen Moran came very close to winning a seat that time. In the locals we went up to two representatives so there is definitely change coming, it might be slow but it’s coming.”
She said she would relish the challenge of being a TD.
“I’m looking forward to getting out there, getting the job done, and being able to represent all the people of Clare. As a councillor you are restricted sometimes in certain areas so I’m looking forward to doing what needs to be done and being a voice for the people of Clare,” she said.
Speaking after an extremely long election count and an arduous campaign.” she said she was tired.
“I’d say on Tuesday I’ll probably hit a brick wall! It’s probably adrenaline keeping us going at the minute and the whole excitement of the campaign,” she said.
“This isn’t just about me being elected, the campaign did this, I couldn’t have done it on my own. I can’t thank the team and my family enough.”
She will be spending a lot of time in Dublin in the next few years, which will mean some space for her son, who is one of the thousands impacted by the housing crisis.
“I have a 26-year-old who can’t move out. He’ll mind the house while I’m gone!” the new TD laughed.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.