Cork City Council: Sinn Féin’s representation cut in half

The last two seats on Cork City Council were filled on Monday evening following the conclusion of a recount in the city’s south central local authority area (LEA).

Independent councillor Paudie Dineen and Sinn Féin councillor Fiona Kerins were re-elected, with just a single vote separating them after an 11-hour recount. The recount was requested late on Sunday night by Sinn Féin after just 12 votes separated Ms Kerins, the party’s county councillor, Eoghan Jeffers, and Mr Dineen after the 11th count. At 7pm on Monday evening, the state of poll after count 12 showed just nine votes between them.

But following the distribution of Seán Martin’s surplus, Dineen moved from 1,058 to 1,069 votes, Kerins jumped from 1,062 to 1,066, with Jeffers gaining three votes to take him to 1,056. The distribution of Dan Boyle’s vote in count 14 was enough to elect Dineen on 1,071 and Kerins on 1,070.

Her election secured a fourth seat for Sinn Féin on the council – down from eight. Ms Kerins said: “We didn’t want to be in this place, standing against each other but the main thing is we took a seat for Sinn Féin in south central.”

Mr Jeffers said while he was disappointed, the most important was to see a colleague elected. The conclusion of the recount and the formal closure of the count at City Hall means that despite losing two seats over the weekend, Fianna Fáil has retained its position as the largest party on the 31-seat council, while Fine Gael has gained two seats to seven. The first meeting of the new council is on June 7th.

(First preference votes: candidates elected in bold)

Cork City North-East: 6 seats

Kenneth Noel O’Flynn (Fianna Fáil) - 1,710 (elected on count 8)
John, Daniel Maher (Labour Party) - 1,345 (elected on count 10)
Ger Keohane (Ind) - 1,279 (elected on count 10)
Joe Kavanagh (Fine Gael) - 1,254 (elected on count 10)
Oliver Moran (Green Party) - 1,180 (elected on count 10)
Ted Tynan (Workers Party) - 1,031 (elected on count 10)
Tim Brosnan (Fianna Fáil) - 1,048
Lorraine O’Neill (Fine Gael) - 1,047
Noreen Murphy (Ind) - 815
Carol Brogan (Solidarity-PBP) - 689
Mick Nugent (Sinn Féin) - 668
Martin Dorgan (Fianna Fáil) - 483
Sinéad Halpin (Social Dems) - 309
Mandy O’Leary Hegarty (Sinn Féin) - 267
Mobolaji Taiwo Ajisafe (Ind) - 123
Risteárd Ó Glaimhín (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) - 103
Sean Patrick O’Sullivan (Ind) - 60

Cork City North-West: 6 seats

Tony Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil) - 1,662 (elected on count 5)
Thomas Gould (Sinn Féin) - 1,402 (elected on count 9)
Kenneth Collins (Sinn Féin) - 1,147 (elected on count 12)
Damian Boylan (Fine Gael) - 1059 (elected on count 12)
John Sheehan (Fianna Fáil) - 1,023 (elected on count 12)
Fiona Ryan (Solidarity-PBP) - 885 (elected on count 12)
Julie O’Leary (Fine Gael) - 701
Mark Cronin (Green Party) - 563
Kevin Conway (Ind) - 536
Luke Carroll (Labour Party) - 528
Seán Coleman (Fianna Fáil) - 526
Joe O’Callaghan (Ind) - 476
Finian Toomey (Aontú) - 442
Timothy J Hogan (Ind) - 208
John Paul Stanton (Sinn Féin) - 184
Martina Murphy (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) - 175
Catherine Coffey (Workers Party) - 151
Sandra Condon (Ind) - 108

Cork City South-Central: 6 seats

Mick Finn (Ind) - 1,753 (elected count 1)
Dan Boyle (Green Party) - 1,457 (elected on count 5)
Seán Martin (Fianna Fáil) - 1,383 (elected on count 9)
Shane O’Callaghan (Fine Gael) - 1,235 (elected on count 11)
Fiona Kerins (Sinn Féin) - 703 (elected on count 14)
Paudie Dineen (Ind) - 554 (elected on count 14)
Eoghan Jeffers (Sinn Féin) - 774
David Boyle (Fianna Fáil)- 768
Luke Field (Labour Party) - 459
Ciaran Kenneally (Ind) - 428
Patricia O’Dwyer (Social Dems) - 360
Seán Cronin (Indt) - 209
Lekha Menon Margassery (Ind) - 199
Michael Mohally (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) - 126
Graham O’Shea (Ind) - 93
Suzanne Hegarty (Ind) - 45
Maurice Joseph Sexton (Ind) - 42

Cork City South-East: 6 seats

Des Cahill (Fine Gael) - 2,275 (election count 1)
Lorna Bogue (Green Party) - 2,207 (elected on count 2)
Mary Rose Desmond (Fianna Fáil) - 2,102 (elected on count 6)
Terry Shannon (Fianna Fáil) - 1,976 (elected on count 8)
Kieran McCarthy (Ind) - 1,708 (elected on count 8)
Deirdre Forde (Fine Gael) - 1,588 (elected on count 8)
Chris O’Leary (Sinn Féin) - 1,103
Peter Horgan (Labour Party) - 888
Joe Harris (Social Dems) - 685
Anna Daly (Aontú) - 498
Diarmaid Ó Cadhla (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) - 496
Ed Fitzgerald (Solidarity-PBP) - 255

Cork City South-West: 7 seats

Derry Canty (Fine Gael) - 1,881 (elected on count 6)
Fergal Dennehy (Fianna Fáil) - 1,823 (elected on count 6)
Colette Finn (Green Party) - 1,484 (elected on count 9)
Colm Kelleher (Fianna Fáil) - 1,339 (elected on count 12)
Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael) - 1,306 (elected on count 13)
Thomas Moloney (Ind) - 1,174 (elected on count 13)
Henry Cremin (Sinn Féin) - 1,045 (elected on count 13)
Thomas Kiely (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) 1,174
Eolan Ryng (Sinn Féin) - 786
Sinéad Ronan (Fine Gael) - 758
PJ Hourican (Fine Gael) - 731
Joanne Murphy (Aontú) - 653
Shane Fallon (Fianna Fáil) - 630
Ciara Kennedy (Labour Party) - 553
Ciarán McCarthy (Social Dems) - 552
Tjitske De Vries (Solidarity-PBP) - 304
Shirley Griffin (Housing Rights & Reform Alliance) - 174
Artur Górnik (Ind) - 56