THE FIRST seat has been filled as the count draws on at Limerick Racecourse, and Fine Gael Minister for Higher and Further Education Patrick O’Donovan is home and dry for another Dáil term.
The Fine Gael man was lifted on high in the county centre as the results were declared, but his confidence had been higher since he first stepped foot into the count centre earlier this afternoon.
The County Limerick TD took home 11,563 on the first count, just passing out the 11,385 quota.
Speaking with tongue firmly in cheek to Newstalk earlier, Deputy O’Donovan said that County Limerick has a “strong tradition” of “fairly accurate tallies” and so he was confident that his seat would be secured.
The Fine Gael TD, who found himself becoming the first ever Fine Gael TD in County Limerick to be returned on the first count, thanked his family, wife and children, and supporters who had spurred him on over the three-week election cycle to be voted back into what he described as the “most rural constituency in Ireland”.
Reacting to his re-election this evening, Deputy O’Donovan said he was “delighted”.
“I want to thank the people of County Limerick for the massive vote they gave me and my supporters, my family, my wife and children especially, and everybody across Limerick who voted for me.”
When asked if he was worried if his seat was ever in jeopardy, O’Donovan replied that “we had a positive reception out on the doors” which he said was due to the work he put in over “five years as opposed to five weeks”.
Reflecting back on his bout of ill-health earlier last year, when the Fine Gael man had to be hospitalised after collapsing in the Dáil chamber in June 2023, a delighted O’Donovan said that “I could have walked away but I decided I’d stick at it and the people have responded positively to me so I’m delighted”.
Hot in contention for the second and third seat are Independent Ireland’s Richard O’Donoghue (10,540 votes) and Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins (9,284) in what seems a given for the final shape of the three-seater constituency.
However, as eliminations go on and transfers become clear, Sinn Féin’s Joanne Collins (6,005) may come back a strong contented.
The results for the first count in the constituency are:
Barrett, Jim – Independent – 913
Collins, Bridie – Fianna Fáil – 1,687
Collins, Joanne – Sinn Féin – 6,005
Collins, Niall – Fianna Fáil – 9,284
Crehan, Richie – Independent – 565
Fahy, Laura – People Before Profit/Solidarity – 413
O’Donnell, Rob – Green Party – 873
O’Donoghue, Richard – Independent Ireland – 10,540
O’Donovan, Patrick – Fine Gael – 11,563 (elected)
O’Loughlin, Donna – Irish Freedom Party – 256
O’Sullivan, Lorraine – The Irish People – 281
Ryan, Michael – Aontú – 1,309
Sheehan Corkery, April – Independent – 82
Stokes, Noreen – Fine Gael – 1,511
Uunk, Gerben – Party For Animal Welfare -254
A first count for the Limerick City constituency is expected soon.
