Galway West: FF boost first preference votes

Fianna Fáil took 24.3 per cent of first preference votes in Galway West, up 3.8 per cent on their 2011 result – with sitting TD, Eamon Ó Cuív, topping the poll and increasing his vote by some 2,098 first preferences.

Fine Gael won 24 per cent of first preferences, down 9.7 on their last election result, but could still be in contention to take a second seat in the constituency, with John O’Mahony and Hildegarde Naughton battling it out to fill the highly contested final seat.

Also in contention for the seat is Trevor Ó Clochartaigh of Sinn Fein, taking 9 per cent of the first preference votes, increasing their share by 2.7 per cent since 2011.

Fine Gael’s coalition partner, Labour, yielded what is likely to be a hugely disappointing result for the party, dropping 6.7 percentage points to 5. The party’s only Galway TD, Derek Nolan, conceded defeat before the official first count was announced.

Independents took 26.5 per cent of first preferences and independent candidate, Catherine Connolly will have her eye firmly on the fifth and final seat as the count continues.

Elsewhere, the Green Party are up just under one per cent to 2.5 while the new kids on the block, the Social Democrats and Renua Ireland, achieved 5.4 and 1.5 per cent respectively.

AAA-PBP took 1.6 per cent while Direct Democracy Ireland achieved 0.2 per cent of first preference votes.