Dún Laoghaire: FG’s Mitchell O’Connor and Bailey take seats

Dún Laoghaire has returned two Fine Gael TDs, newcomer Maria Bailey and incumbent Mary Mitchell-O’Connor, along with Richard Boyd-Barrett of People Before Profit-Anti-Austerity Alliance (PBP-AAA).

After seven counts, Ms Bailey secured 15,198 votes and her running mate Ms Mitchell-O’Connor 14,941.

Mr Boyd-Barrett was the first TD to be elected in the constituency on the sixth count and will be returning to the Dáil after getting 15,718 votes.

With Seán Barrett of Fine Gael seeking another term as Ceann Comhairle and therefore automatically returned to the Dáil, the constituency was effectively a three-seater.

Mr Boyd-Barrett went over the quota of 14,810 following transfers from the eliminated Fianna Fáil candidate Cormac Devlin.

Mr Devlin’s running mate Mary Hanafin ended up with 10,969 votes as the count concluded, well behind the Fine Gael candidates.

Ms Hanafin complemented Fine Gael on its “impeccable” vote management strategy in the constituency, noting that it had “bucked the trend” in evidence around the country, where there has been a swing against the Government and towards Fianna Fail.

The Labour candidate Carrie Smyth was eliminated after the sixth count and her transfers brought Ms Bailey and Ms Mitchell-O’Connor over the quota.

Ms Smyth polled poorly in the former constituency of ex-Labour leader and ex-tánaiste Eamon Gilmore’s constituency, with 5,192 first preferences.

The electorate was 92,248 and the total poll 59,639. There were 401 spoiled votes so the total valid poll was 59,238. A total of 1,093 votes were non-transferable after count seven.

Green candidate Ossian Smyth went out after count four.

Independent Alliance candidate Carol Hunt was excluded after the third count.

Sinn Féin’s Shane O’Brien was eliminated on the second count and Renua’s Frank Cronin and Direct Democracy Ireland’s Raymond Whitehead were excluded after the first.