Winner of Carrick-on-Suir LEA's final seat pays tribute to defeated friend

Fine Gael’s Cllr Mark Fitzgerald was the fifth and final councillor to be elected in the Carrick-on-Suir LEA election following the fifth count on Sunday afternoon.

His election after over a day and a half of waiting was greeted with cheers in the count centre from his family, friends and supporters.

The 48 transfers he received from the distribution of Irish Freedom Party candidate Martin Murphy’s votes pushed him over the 1,508 Quota to achieve a final vote of 1,545, which was 226 votes ahead of sixth placed candidate Independent Kevin O’Meara.

The Cloneen man was delighted and amazed to get over the line and retain his council seat but his friend O’Meara from Mullinahone, who lost his seat, was foremost in his mind.

Cllr Fitzgerald commiserated with his former council colleague and wished him well. He pointed out that Kevin was a huge support to him on the Council over the past five years. He praised his organisational skills and logical common sense approach to issues that arose on the Council.

“It means so much that the public have put their trust in me to represent the area of another five years,” he said. “It’s also a very bittersweet day. We have lost a great colleague in Kevin. He isn’t just a colleague, he is a friend of mine.

“It’s hard to celebrate when it goes like that but unfortunately that is the nature of the beast of politics. What is a good day for one person is a bad day for someone else. I wish him the very best in the future and thank him for his help and advice over the past five years.”

Cllr Fitzgerald said he looked forward to representing communities in Carrick LEA, particularly his heartland around Cloneen, Drangan and Fethard for the next five years.

Cllr Fitzgerald said his priorities will be linking in with the current government and next government to focus on securing better services and infrastructure for communities in Carrick district.

In 2019, Cllr Fitzgerald was one of three Fine Gael candidates, who contested the Carrick LEA election but this time he was the party’s single representative in the constituency.

Cllr Fitzgerald pointed out that the fact he was the only FG candidate in Carrick LEA meant he picked up votes in every single box across the constituency.

His personal vote in Cloneen, Drangan and Fethard went up but he acknowledged that Michael “Chicken” Brennan’s candidacy did affect his vote but luckily not too much.

“I probably lost some votes, I was prepared for that. I had expected there was going to be some support (for Brennan).

“I got a large vote in Cloneen and Drangan because I am the local candidate but less in Killenaule than in 2019.”
Irish Freedom Party candidate Martin Murphy, who is married to Cllr Fitzgerald’s aunt, was the other new challenge that faced the outgoing councillors in the Carrick LEA race.

Cllr Fitzgerald didn’t think Murphy’s candidacy impacted on his vote and never expected it would. “The nature of who our parties are is completely different,” he said.

In the end, it was 48 transfers from the distribution of Mr Murphy’s 330 votes following his elimination that got Cllr Fitzgerald over the Quota.

Despite their political differences, Cllr Fitzgerald said he enjoyed a pint with the IFP candidate in his family’s pub, The Thatch in Cloneen, on Saturday night.

“It just goes to show as much as I love politics, family will always come first,” he said.