Local elections 2024 – Fingal County Council: Almost 25pc of candidates elected
A quarter of candidates have now been elected in Fingal County Council.
There have been ten councillors elected so far for the 40 Council seats.
Based on the candidates elected and performing strongly in Fingal so far, it appears that Labour and Fine Gael are performing the best followed by a strong performance by independent councillors.
Social Democrats have also secured a seat, along with Independents4Change securing one seat and the same for Fianna Fáil.
However, with only ten out of 40 council seats filled, it's still early to draw definitive conclusions about overall party performance.
Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart
In Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart, no candidate reached the quota in the first count. After the second count, Andy Heasman of The Irish People and independent candidate Shashank Chakerwarti were eliminated, indicating a tightening field.
A further number of candidates in Blanchardstown have been eliminated such as Fianna Fáil candidate Lorna Nolan and Social Democrats Neil Dowling.
Independent councillor Tania Doyle celebrating keeping her seat on Fingal County Council representing Ongar
Ongar
In Ongar, Independent councillor Tania Doyle's was successfully relected after the first count.
Notable candidates like Fine Gael’s Kieran Dennison, Sinn Féin’s Angela Donnelly, Tom Kitt, and Gerard Sheehan have also garnered significant support, signaling a diverse electoral landscape and the potential for shifts in representation.
The following candidates have been eliminated in subsequent counts: People Before Profit’s Andrew Doyle and Labour Party’s Nekesa Nancy Khisa.
Swords
Swords sees a mix of party successes with Darragh Butler (Fianna Fáil), Luke Corkery (Fine Gael), and Dean Mulligan (Independents4Change) securing seats.
Luke Corkery is the youngest serving member currently elected to Fingal County Council at just 22-years-old and is the first Fine Gael candidate securing a seat for Swords in the past 10 years.
Notable candidates like Joe Newman (Independent), Marian Buckley (Sinn Féin), and Ian Carey (Green Party) indicate a competitive race for the remaining seats, keeping the electorate engaged.
Sinn Féin candidate for Swords Conor Linnane has been eliminated along with Independent candidate Bernadette Wright.
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Howth-Malahide
Social Democrat’s Joan Hopkins secured her seat on Fingal County Council after the first count with a surplus of 657 above the quota to get elected of 2615.
Cathal Haughey of Fianna Fáil demonstrated a strong performance with 2,260 votes. Aoibhinn Tormey of Fine Gael secured a solid first count vote of 2,382, indicative of the party's continued popularity.
Margaret Donnellan, running as a Non-Party candidate, earned significant support with an impressive first count vote of 1,130, underscoring the potential for independent voices in local politics.
Jimmy Guerin, another Non-Party candidate, also attracted attention with 1,695 votes, highlighting the appeal of independent candidates and their resonance with voters in Howth-Malahide.
A host of four candidates have been eliminated from Howth-Malahide including independent candidate Motseta Rachel Ndlovu, Independent candidate Jamie McGlue, Sinn Féin candidate Kevin Doherty and Independent candidate Vedh Kannan.
Rush-Lusk
Labour councillor Robert O'Donoghue's successful election as the first councillor in Rush-Lusk signals early momentum for the party in the area. Another win for Labour came after in the third count with Corina Johnston winning a seat representing Rush-Lusk.
Paul Muville (Social Democrats) is also looking likely to keep his seat.
Those eliminated from Rush-Lusk LEA include two independent candidates Derek McLoughlin and Aneta Laska.
Fine Gael's Siobhán Shovlin was elected on the fifth count taking the second FG seat in Castleknock, seen below celebrating her win alongside former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar
Castleknock
Fine Gael's Ted Leddy's victory in Castleknock underscores the party's continued dominance in the area. However, the elimination of Luke Daly, the Social Democrats representative, after the second count suggests a changing dynamic. In the fourth count it was announced that Labour’s John Walsh secured his seat.
Another victory for Fine Gael in the Castleknock Region as Siobhán Shovlin was elected on the fifth count, seen below celebrating her win alongside former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a candidate from his own constituency.
There has been other candidates eliminated from Castleknock such as Green Party councillor Pamela Conroy.
Balbriggan
Tony Murphy Independent secured his seat again with 2,148 votes.
The electorate of 25,174 saw a turnout of 11,152 votes, with 128 spoiled votes, resulting in a valid poll of 11,024 and a quota of 1,838 for the five available seats. Tony Murphy (Independent) led with 2,148 votes, followed by Brendan Ryan (Labour) with 1,595 votes, Grainne Maguire (Independent) with 1,328 votes, Tom O'Leary (Fine Gael) with 1,141 votes, and Karen Power (Green Party) with 1,062 votes.
Other notable candidates included Sinéad Lucey Brennan (Fianna Fáil) with 817 votes and Malachy Quinn (Sinn Féin) with 804 votes, reflecting a diverse political preference among voters.
Independent candidate Oghenetano John Uwhumiakpor has now been eliminated.
