LIMERICK County Council will for the first time in almost 24 years have a Fine Gael majority. Final results for the Adare, Castleconnell, Kilmallock, Newcastle and Rathkeale electoral areas show a decline in support for Fianna Fáil and Independents, while Fine Gael and all other parties were making gains.
Fine Gael’s Leo Walsh topped the poll in the Adare electoral area with 1,833 first preference votes.
His party colleagues Rose Brennan received 1,757 votes; Richard Butler 1,606 votes while Labour’s Thomas Hannon received 1,637 votes insuring all were also elected on the first count.
James Collins (FF) was elected in the second count while sitting Fiánna Fail councillor, Leonard Enright, retained his seat on the eight count.
Patrick C Fitzgerald (IND) claimed the final seat by just four votes from fellow independent candidate, Seamus Sheahan.
Fine Gael’s Mary Jackman topped the poll In the Castleconnell electoral area while Fianna Fail’s Eddie Wade also secured his seat on the first count.
Bridget Teefy (IND), Mary Harty (FG) and Noel Gleeson (FF) all held on to their seats.
Fine Gael’s John Egan and Michael Sheahan were also elected on the final count without reaching the quota.
Mary Bourke (FF) narrowly lost out to her party colleague Mike Donegan in the Kilmallock electoral area. A full recount did not change the final outcome.
James Heffernan (LAB) topped the poll with 2,282 first preference votes while Eddie Ryan (FF) received 1,840, Mike Houlihan (FG) 1,575, William O’Donnell (FG) 1,206 and Mike Donegan (FF) 1,266 first preference votes. They were all deemed elected after the recount.
Five councillors have been elected in the Newcastle electoral area. Jerome Scanlan (FG) topped the poll with 2,823 votes while his colleague Patrick O’Donovan secured 2254 first preference votes and was also elected on the first count. Liam Galvin, also of Fine Gael, retained his seat and brought to fifteen the number of seats Fine Gael now have giving the party control of the council.
Fine Gael’s John Sheahan received 1,901 first preference votes in the Rathkeale electoral area. His party colleagues Stephen Keary and David Naughten both secured seats, as did Fianna Fáil’s Kevin Sheahan with 1,326 first preference votes.
Limerick County Council
How they polled
Adare : Candidate Summary
1st %
Name Party Sitting Pref Votes Elected
BRENNAN, Rose FG Yes 1757 14.90% Yes
BUTLER, Richard FG Yes 1606 13.60% Yes
CAVANAGH, James FF Yes 685 5.80%
COLLINS, James FF 1476 12.50% Yes
CREHAN, Richard FF 529 4.50%
ENRIGHT, Leonard FF Yes 770 6.50% Yes
FITZGERALD, Patrick C IND 606 5.10% Yes
HANNON, Tomás LAB Yes 1637 13.80% Yes
SHEAHAN, Seámus IND 756 6.40%
SMITH, Richie IND 173 1.50%
WALSH, Leo FG Yes 1833 15.50% Yes
Quota: 1,479
Candidates: 11
Electorate: 22,155
Turnout: 54.2%
Valid Poll: 11,828
Spoilt Votes: 169 (1.4%)
Castleconnell : Candidate Summary
1st %
Name Party Sitting Pref Votes Elected
EGAN, John FG 1356 10.10% Yes
FORDE-BRENNAN, Trish GP 371 2.80%
GLEESON, Noel FF Yes 1159 8.60% Yes
HARTY, Mary FG Yes 1199 8.90% Yes
JACKMAN, Mary FG Yes 1993 14.80% Yes
KEATING, Seamus SF 234 1.70%
MEAGHER, Joseph FF 881 6.60%
SECAS, Elena LAB 1045 7.80%
SHEAHAN, Michael FG 1267 9.40% Yes
STOKES, Brian FF 626 4.70%
TEEFY, Brigid IND Yes 1492 11.10% Yes
WADE, Eddie FF Yes 1805 13.40% Yes
Quota: 1,679
Candidates: 12
Electorate: 23,650
Turnout: 57.3%
Valid Poll: 13,428
Spoilt Votes: 127 (0.9%)
Kilmallock : Candidate Summary
1st %
Name Party Sitting Pref Votes Elected
BURKE, Mary FF 960 7.70%
CLIFFORD, John FF Yes 674 5.40%
DONEGAN, Mike FF 1266 10.10% Yes
HEFFERNAN, James LAB 2282 18.20% Yes
HICKEY, Jim IND 677 5.40%
HOULIHAN, Mike FG 1575 12.60% Yes
MITCHELL, Gerald FG 1070 8.50%
O’DONNELL, William FG 1206 9.60% Yes
O’DONOGHUE, Richard FF 764 6.10%
RYAN, Eddie FF 1840 14.70% Yes
YOUNG, Richard SF 214 1.70%
Quota: 2,089
Candidates: 11
Electorate: 18,955
Turnout: 66.8%
Valid Poll: 12,528
Spoilt Votes: 143 (1.1%)
Newcastle : Candidate Summary
1st %
Name Party Sitting Pref Votes Elected
AHERNE, Seamus FF 721 5.80%
COLLINS, Michael FF Yes 1534 12.40% Yes
FOLEY, Francis FF Yes 1358 11.00% Yes
GALVIN, Liam FG Yes 1762 14.30% Yes
GOULDING, Stephen LAB 890 7.20%
LORDAN, Anne FF 428 3.50%
MacDOMHNAILL, Mike SF 388 3.10%
Ó SÚILLEABHÁIN, Séamus IND 192 1.60%
O’DONOVAN, Patrick FG Yes 2254 18.30% Yes
SCANLAN, Jerome FG Yes 2823 22.90% Yes
Quota: 2,059
Candidates: 10
Electorate: 19,218
Turnout: 65.1%
Valid Poll: 12,350
Spoilt Votes: 153 (1.2%)
Rathkeale : Candidate Summary
1st %
Name Party Sitting Pref Votes Elected
HOGAN, Seamus LAB 960 10.00%
KEARY, Stephen FG 1773 18.40% Yes
MULCAIR, Michael FF Yes 905 9.40%
NAUGHTON, David FG Yes 1413 14.70% Yes
O’CONNOR, Kevin IND 442 4.60%
O’DOHERTY, Patrick IND 115 1.20%
SHEAHAN, John FG Yes 1901 19.70% Yes
SHEAHAN, Kevin FF Yes 1326 13.80% Yes
WALLACE, Joe FF 795 8.30%
Quota: 1,927
Candidates: 9
Electorate: 15,636
Turnout: 62.5%
Valid Poll: 9,630
Spoilt Votes: 149 (1.5%)
