You could be tempted to recall that the tension was so rife it managed to cut the power in the Roscommon-Galway constituency in the early hours of a freezing Monday morning.

But if the truth be told, from the very earlier tallies the writing was on the wall for the two big parties in the newly redrawn constituency, which threw up a number of historic milestones in Election 2020.

Sinn Féin’s Claire Kerrane fought off outgoing Fianna Fáil TD and former radio broadcaster Eugene Murphy for the third seat without reaching the quota on the sixth count – the first time in a century that the party took a seat here, a constituency which had the first ever Sinn Féin elected politician.

Her victory – celebrated to the strains of ‘A Nation Once Again’ – in just her second run at politics leaves the constituency one of only two in the country without a Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil TD. The result ensures that its reputation as being fierce contrarian remains unblemished – ever since the foundation of the State it has never returned sitting politicians.

Way back in 1917 George Noble Plunkett won a by-election in North Roscommon for Sinn Féin as an MP, the first time the party – then known as Republican – won a seat in Westminster. He later took a seat in the Dáil in the 1921 general election.

Kerrane, a 27-year-old from Castlerea who became a political advisor in Sinn Féin headquarters after polling 3,000 first preferences in the 2016 poll, will be only the second woman ever to win a seat in Roscommon, following in the footsteps of Joan Burke who served for 17 years until her retirement in 1981.

The daughter of a school principal and a beef farmer, her close association with the leadership should lead to a high-profile position in the next government, which will likely be some weeks off as the horse-trading begins in earnest. During a short interview with the Connacht Tribune at the count centre, she name-checked leader Mary Lou O’Donnell no less than three times.

Poll topper Michael Fitzmaurice was the first Independent candidate to be elected in the country after increasing his vote by a third to pull in over 13,000 first preferences.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Sinn Féin’s Claire Kerrane made history in the Roscommon-Galway constituency by becoming the first TD from the party to be elected for over a century.

She was elected on the sixth count without reaching the quota, ending on 10,545 votes after getting 463 transfers from Denis Naughten’s surplus. She finished 1,300 votes ahead of outgoing Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy.

That completes the count for the constituency, with two Independents, Michael Fitzmaurice and Denis Naughten elected – the latter in darkness at 2am during a power cut.

In 1917 George Noble Plunkett won a by-election in North Roscommon for Sinn Féin as an MP, the first time the party won a seat in Westminster.

Her win means that the constituency continues its contrarian streak – it is the first occasion since the foundation of the State that neither Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael did not take a seat. The county is famous for never returning the same politicians, always choosing at least one new candidate.

She will be only the second woman ever to win a seat in Roscommon and the first since Joan Burke who served for 17 years until her retirement in 1981.

Aged just 27, the native of Castlerea is a NUI Galway politics graduate and a qualified teacher who is employed by the party as a political adviser on employment affairs, social protection and pensions.

In the 2016 election, she polled over 3,000 first preferences.

“I’m over the moon, delighted. We have been building this constituency for the last four years in particular. We have worked hard, and I think the party nationally with Mary Lou at the helm has done really well. It’s a great day. It’s a historic day for Ireland in the Republic,” she exclaimed, after her election on count five.

“I think the appetite for change was just immense. The attitude at the doors compared to 2016 was totally different. You had FF or FG voter who were voting for “Sinn Fein for the first time.

“They were giving us a chance, and that was what the whole election was about. Sinn Féin never had a chance, but it has been given to us today. We have to meet and sit down and hopefully put together a programme for government, hopefully with others from the left.

“Our objective is to deliver what we have put forward in this election. I think Mary Lou seems fairly adamant that we will go into government and I think everyone in the party they know the only way to deliver is to get into government.

“We’ll be there, and we’ll be willing to speak to anybody to make that happen.”

Number of seats: 3
Electorate: 69,598
Spoiled votes: 330
Total valid poll: 45,612
Quota: 11,404

SIXTH COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419 + 1447 10,866 +3817 14,683 Elected
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690 +712 9402 +680 10,082 + 463 10,545
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710 +452 6162 + 1146 9204
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381 +1861 7242 +816 8058
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197 Eliminated
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610 Eliminated
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Clare Kerrane elected without reaching the quota.

FIFTH COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419 + 1447 10,866 +3817 14,683
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690 +712 9402 +680 10,082
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710 +452 6162
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381 +1861 7242 +816 8058
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197 Eliminated
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610 Eliminated
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Denis Naughten takes the second seat elected.
Distribution of Naughten’s surplus of 3,279 votes.

FOURTH COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419 + 1447 10,866
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690 +712 9402
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710 +452 6162
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381 +1861 7242
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197 Eliminated
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610 Eliminated
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Nobody deemed elected. Eliminated Aisling Dolan.

THIRD COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Nobody deemed elected. Eliminated O’Donoghue and Leyden.

SECOND COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) 13,077 Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109

Eliminated Fallon, Hanley, Hope and Tynan

FIRST COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) 13,077
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413
Hope, James (Aontu) 504
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88

Fitzmaurice re-elected on the first count.
Fitzmaurice’s surplus of 1,673 to be distributed.

Denise Naughten has declared himself willing to work with anyone in government, but believes Independents will unlikely be kingmakers in the next coalition.

The former Fine Gaeler, who topped the poll in the 2016 election, relinquished his pole position to fellow Independent Michael Fitzmaurice, securing the second seat on the fifth count after coming in second place with 8,422 first preferences.

It was a big drop for the Roscommon town politician, who had pulled over 13,000 votes in his last electoral outing.

He got 3,817 transfers from Fine Gael’s Aisling Dolan, which got him over the line. The count was suspended power was cut across the town with proceedings due to begin again at midday on Monday when Sinn Fein’s Claire Kerrane is expected to take the third and final seat.

“I was never going to have the same circumstances as the last occasion – it’s a very different election and this time round I had Orla Leydon and Aisling Dolan eating into my first preferences and in fairness Aisling seems to have rallied in the last few days, running an excellent campaign,” he told the Connacht Tribune.

“There’s a lot of anger out there and a lot of frustration.”

Number of seats: 3
Electorate: 69,598
Spoiled votes: 330
Total valid poll: 45,612
Quota: 11,404

Fifth Count
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419 + 1447 10,866  +3817  14,683
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690 +712 9402  +680  10,082
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710 +452 6162
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381 +1861 7242 +816  8058
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197 Eliminated
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610 Eliminated
Hope, James (Aontu) 504  +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319  +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Denis Naughten takes the second seat. Count is suspended due to powercut.
The next count will distribute Naughten’s surplus of 3,279 votes.
Resuming at midday on Monday.

Fourth Count
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419 + 1447 10,866
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690 +712 9402
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710 +452 6162
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381 +1861 7242
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197 Eliminated
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610 Eliminated
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated
Eliminated: Aisling Dolan.
The next count is the fifth and final count.

THIRD COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057 +362 9419
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322 +368 8690
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635 +75 5710
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201 +180 5381
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124 +73 3197
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445 +165 1610
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542 Eliminated
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442 Eliminated
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331 Eliminated
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109 – Eliminated

Nobody deemed elected. Eliminated O’Donoghue and Leydn.

SECOND COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) 13,077 Elected
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422 +635 9057
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003 +319 8322
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466 +169 5635
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945 +256 5201
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953 +171 3124
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413 +32 1445
Hope, James (Aontu) 504 +38 542
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422 +20 442
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319 +12 331
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88 +21 109

Eliminated Fallon, Hanley, Hope and Tynan

FIRST COUNT
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) 13,077
Naughten, Denis (Ind) 8,422
Kerrane, Clare (SF) 8,003
Dolan, Aisling (FG) 5,466
Murphy Eugene (FF) 4,945
Leyden, Orla (FF) 2,953
O’Donoghue, Julie (GP) 1,413
Hope, James (Aontu) 504
Tynan, Kieran (SPBP) 422
Hanley, Paul (National Party) 319
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) 88

Fitzmaurice re-elected on the first count.
Fitzmaurice’s surplus of 1,673 to be distributed.