Feeney wins back his old seat

Former Fine Gael councillor Peter Feeney has emerged victorious after deciding to run again in this election. The Athenry man secured 409 votes on transfer from sitting Fianna Fáil Cllr Shelly Herterich-Quinn to take the fifth seat on the ninth count. His 192 surplus votes will now be distributed in the tenth count. It was a surprise decision for him to re-enter politics. From 2003 he was co-opted to replace Ulick Burke, who had to leave due to the dual mandate rule, which meant he could not be a member of both a local authority and the Oireachtas. He faced the electorate the year after and was elected in every election until 2019 when he decided not to run. He was working as a special adviser to the then Chief Whip Sean Kyne, based in Dublin during the week. He continued to be deeply involved in the Athenry community after the 2020 election, in which Sean Kyne lost his seat. He chaired the €8 million Food Innovation Hub in the town, which was set up to encourage the food industry in the west. He was asked by the party and the community run again, a decision that was well-founded given his 1,213 first preferences, down just 300 votes since he last ran. Things have not changed much since he was last a local representative. “I found housing the most serious issue on the doorstep. I met many people who had both mortgage approval and a deposit but couldn’t buy a house. Rural planning is another major problem and the challenges of rapid development in Athenry with the arrival Dexcom. School places is a serious issue worrying parents in the town, there is a need to build temporary accommodation for more students in our schools.” Louis O’Hara retains second place in the contest, picking up 170 votes in that round, with Eoghan Gallagher (FG) sneaking up the ladder and now sitting 30 votes behind Cillian Keane (FF). His 192 surplus votes will now be distributed for the tenth count.