No repeat of 2011 count marathon this time in Galway West
Billed as a possible cliff-hanger, the box-office potential of Galway West didn’t quite materialise.
Just as in the GAA where replays rarely meet the expectation created by the drawn matches, this constituency count didn’t deliver on the all pre-election hype.
In fairness, Galway West 2016 had a tough act to follow. Five years ago, there was enough tension and drama produced for two elections. This time, not so much.
In 2011, the last of five seats wasn’t filled until the Wednesday morning, following almost 70-hours of counting, including two recounts. And after all that, four days and late nights, just 17 votes separated the final two candidates.
This weekend was much more straightforward. And there was no need for sleeping bags.
Counting of votes began at 9am Saturday in NUIG and continued for 16 hours. Counting resumed at 9am Sunday, and nine hours later, shortly after 6pm, all five seats were filled.
As expected, sitting TDs Éamon Ó Cuív (FF), Noel Grealish (Ind), and Seán Kyne (FG) were all returned, along with Hildegarde Naughton (FG) and Catherine Connolly (Ind).
But just because the outcome wasn’t as tight as 2011, and just because there was no recount, there was still ample material to keep political junkies entertained.
The vagaries of the proportional representation system and trying to predict the destination of eliminated candidates’ transfers, kept the pundits, politicians and their supporters sated or on edge.
Fine Gael were sweating over the early tallies, which confirmed what most observers felt beforehand – the party was in a right old battle to retain its two seats.
Saturday afternoon, sitting TD Seán Kyne was worried. Colleagues were dropping like flies all over the country, as he conceded Fine Gael’s election campaign misjudged the mood of voters.
By tea-time Sunday, Kyne’s seat was secure and colleague Hildegarde Naughton coasted in ahead of Sinn Féin senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh on the final count, thanks to FG Mayo TD, John O’Mahony’s transfers.
The FG camps had been taking lumps out of each other – often publicly – during the campaign, which, as it turned out, did them no harm.
Stiff competition and tight transfers ensured former Galway football manager O’Mahony had delivered two seats for Fine Gael, on top of the two All-Irelands he delivered for Galway over a decade ago.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.