County election drama comes down to one vote

Elections for Cork County Council were wrapped up on Tuesday following a second recount for the last remaining seat in the Bantry-West Cork electoral area.

Independent Finbarr Harrington led Social Democrats’ Holly McKeever by just one vote at the weekend with McKeever emerging victorious after Tuesday’s dramatic recount. McKeever finally won out by a single vote.

Of the 55 available seats, Fine Gael won 20 with Fianna Fáil taking 18. Sinn Féin dropped from ten seats down to two.

The Labour Party and the Green Party went home with two seats each while the remaining seats were filled by Independent candidates and one Social Democrat.

In the Bandon-Kinsale Local Electoral Area (LEA), Gillian Coughlan (Fianna Fáil), Alan Coleman (Independent), Kevin Murphy (Fine Gael) and John O’Sullivan (Fine Gael) were all re-elected with the remaining two seats going to Marie O’Sullivan (Fine Gael) and Sean O’Donovan (Fianna Fáil).

Danny Collins (Independent) and current Cork County Mayor Patrick Gerard Murphy (Fianna Fáil) both retained their seats in the Bantry-West Cork LEA.

Seamus McGrath (Fianna Fáil) comfortably topped the poll for Carrigaline with Marcia D’Alton (Independent) and Aidan Lombard (Fine Gael) also being re-elected. Ben Dalton-O’Sullivan (Independent) became the youngest member of the council, elected at just 19 years of age.

In Cobh Pádraig O’Sullivan (Fianna Fáil), Cathal Rasmussen (Labour Party) and Sineád Sheppard (Fine Gael) all held their seats.

Fermoy saw June Murphy (Social Democrats) fail in her bid for re-election while Noel McCarthy (Fine Gael), Frank O’Flynn (Fianna Fáil), Deirdre O’Brien (Fianna Fáil) and Kay Dawson (Fine Gael) all secured re-election.

In Kanturk, familiar faces Bernard Moynihan (Fianna Fáil), Ian Doyle (Fianna Fáil), John Paul O’Shea (Fine Gael) and Gerard Murphy (Fine Gael) all eased back into Council with comfortable margins.

Michael Creed (Fine Gael) and Gobnait Moynihan (Fianna Fáil) were the only candidates to be re-elected in Macroom with Ronnie Morley (Sinn Féin) unsuccessful in retaining his seat.

It was all change in Mallow as all five seats went to new candidates with Melissa Mullane (Sinn Féin) falling just short of re-election.

In Midleton, Mary Linehan Foley (Independent) topped the poll with Noel Collins (Independent), Michael Hegarty (Fine Gael), Danielle Twomey (Sinn Féin) and Susan McCarthy (Fine Gael) all being voted in for another term.

In the Skibbereen-West Cork LEA, Paul Hayes (Sinn Féin) was the only candidate to be re-elected.