Election 2020
Galway East 7th Count: Canney elected

The seventh count in Galway East has resulted in outing TD and Junior Minister Sean Canney being the first to be elected having exceeded the quota.
But there are rumblings of a recount in Galway East as just 124 votes are separating Fianna Fail’s Anne Rabbitte and Louis O’Hara of Sinn Fein with the outgoing TD being in front.
The seventh count was the distribution of Fine Gael’s Pete Roche’s votes and it resulted in Canney being elected while his party colleague Ciaran Cannon is just 641 votes off the quota and will take the second seat.
At the moment, the distribution of Canney’s surplus of 1,661 is taking place and while that such marginally benefit Rabbitte ahead of O’Hara, there is a lot of talk in the count centre of Sinn Fein demanding a full recount.
It is understood that Louis O’Hara is currently seeking advice on the possibility of a recount if the gap between himself and Rabbitte remains much the same.
If a recount is sought and granted, it will start first thing Monday morning.
SEVENTH COUNT
Distribution of Roche’s votes
Sean Canney (Ind) +2,396 12,292
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +2,565 9,990
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +859 9,535
Louis O’Hara (SF) +612 9,411
SIXTH COUNT
Distribution of Killilea’s votes
Sean Canney (Ind) +1,1119,896
Louis O’Hara (SF) +358 8,799
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +2,555 8,676
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +311 7,425
Pete Roche (FG) +581 6,973
Roche eliminated
FIFTH COUNT
Distribution of Madden’s votes
Sean Canney (Ind) +454 8,785
Louis O’Hara (SF) +792 8,441
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +578 7,114
Pete Roche (FG) +212 6,392
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +178 6,121
Donagh Killilea (FF) +105 5,171
Killilea eliminated.
FOURTH COUNT
Distribution of Reid and Spellman transfers
Sean Canney (Ind) +189 8,331
Louis O’Hara (SF) +355 7,649
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +210 6,536
Pete Roche (FG) +90 6,180
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +123 5,943
Donagh Killilea (FF) +62 5,066
Eoin Madden (GP) +670 2,647
Madden eliminated
THIRD COUNT
Distribution Ward’s votes
Sean Canney (Ind) +248 8,142
Louis O’Hara (SF) +117 7,294
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +19 6,326
Pete Roche (FG) +50 6,090
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +44 5,820
Donagh Killilea (FF) +58 5,004
Eoin Madden (GP) +35 1,977
Peter Reid (Soc Dem) +25 892
Marian Spellman (Lab) +27 890
Reid and Spellman eliminated
SECOND COUNT
Distribution of O’Reilly, MacCanna votes
Sean Canney (Ind) +79 7,894
Louis O’Hara (SF) +69 7,177
Ciaran Cannon (FG) +9 6,307
Pete Roche (FG) +6 6,040
Anne Rabbitte (FF) +14 5,776
Donagh Killilea (FF) +14 4,946
Eoin Madden (GP) +18 1,942
Peter Reid (Soc Dem) +19 867
Marian Spellman (Lab) +18 863
Martin Ward (Aon) +88 670
Ward eliminated.
FIRST COUNT
Sean Canney (Ind): 7,815
Louis O’Hara (SF) 7,108
Ciaran Cannon (FG) 6,298
Pete Roche (FG) 6,034
Anne Rabbitte (FF) 5,762
Donagh Killilea (FF) 4,932
Eoin Madden (GP) 1,924
Peter Reid (Soc Dem) 848
Marian Spelman (Lab) 845
Martin Ward (Aon) 582
David O’Reilly (Ind) 246
Deaglan MacCanna (Ren) 126
O’Reilly, MacCanna eliminated
Galway West
Labour fails to make up ground

On the canvass three weeks ahead of the election, Cllr Níall McNelis told the Galway City Tribune he believed Labour’s time “on the bold step” had come to an end.
But as soon as ballot boxes were opened on Sunday morning, it became apparent that wasn’t the case. In fact, the first preference vote share for Labour in Michael D Higgins’ former constituency had decreased to just 3% – a further decline from the 5% Derek Nolan managed in 2016.
Labour’s hammering wasn’t contained to Galway and it’s clear they haven’t been forgiven for their time in Government with Fine Gael. Nonetheless, Cllr McNelis said he was “devastated” by the result when he visited the count centre on Monday morning.
He’d been eliminated on the fourth count the day before, having received 1,548 first preferences.
“I was at home yesterday – I was devastated, gutted, but I know it’s not personal. The party is in trouble and we’re going to have to look at that. The unions have left us and they’re voting for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael. That was our core vote; we were a workers’ party once upon a time.
“We were the party that fought for marriage equality long before anybody else – the SocDems have taken that mantel off us; the repeal of the 8th Amendment, we were the ones who fought for that,” said Cllr McNelis.
“The Left vote is very, very crowded here in Galway so [Labour is] going to have to regroup and reorganise. I have to explain what Níall does a bit more. The result that we got, people have been ringing me and saying, ‘Níall, we’re sorry, it was Labour and not Níall’.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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Galway West
Down but not out – Crowe considering Seanad bid

When one door closes, another opens. That appeared to be the motto of Ollie Crowe, who bowed out of the race in Galway West on the seventh count.
No sooner had the electorate shut the door on his hopes of taking a second seat for Fianna Fáil, the city councillor was contemplating a bid for a seat in the Upper House of the Oireachtas.
“We just came up short; the national trend affected it in the last couple of days. I was delighted to get 5,200 first preferences in my first time standing for Dáil Éireann. I’m disappointed but I feel overall, I revitalised Fianna Fáil in the city and rebuilt the party.
“I’m honoured and humbled that public representatives have asked me to stand for the Seanad and that’s something we’ll discuss over the coming days and weeks and make a decision on that,” he said.
Cllr Crowe told Galway City Tribune that Fianna Fáil made a mistake supporting Fine Gael in ‘Confidence and Supply’ for four years. “We probably stayed in too long – four years is too long. People wanted change, people spoke for change and we were too aligned with the Government.”
He said that a coalition with Sinn Féin “wouldn’t be my preference”.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway West
Party unstuck by a green wave of a different hue

Pauline O’Reilly’s biggest supporter, her daughter Caragh, cuddled into the Green Party councillor’s side as she gave an interview to the Galway City Tribune at the count centre on Sunday, after being eliminated on the sixth count in Galway West.
The nine-year-old was by her mother’s side last May as well, when Cllr O’Reilly – and two other Galway councillors, Martina O’Connor and Alastair McKinstry – was elected in the local elections on the back of a ‘Green wave’.
Less than a year later, and ger Dáil bid came unstuck by another green wave – green of a Republican tinge.
She was tipped by many political pundits and rival candidates, as the likely beneficiary if Galway West returned two ‘left’ seats. And a TG4 constituency poll the week before voters cast their ballots, confirmed Cllr O’Reilly was bang in contention. But then came the surge for Sinn Féin, which her supporters felt on the doorsteps.
“We knew a week out that I was in trouble; I felt in the last couple of days support had shifted back a bit. I wasn’t shocked when I saw the tallies because I was feeling the worry a week ago and I knew it hadn’t come back sufficiently. Certainly, a lot of younger people, children and teens, were upset at the lack of conversation about climate and the environment but it just wasn’t coming up strongly enough with adults,” she said.
Cllr O’Reilly took 6% of the vote with 3,650 first preferences, an increase of 3.5% compared with Seamus Sheridan in 2016, but she was swamped by Sinn Féin’s rise.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.