Tipperary senator is 'thrilled' and 'relieved' at his re-election to Seanad Éireann

South Tipperary Senator Garret Ahearn comfortably retained his Seanad seat securing the second highest vote of over 30 Fine Gael candidates in the election.

He clinched the second seat in the seven-seater Administrative Panel election on Monday afternoon.

The Grange man said he was “blown away” by the level of votes he secured in the election.

“I am thankful and thrilled and more than anything I am just relieved,” he added.

It’s the end of an exhausting election campaign starting in early December that brought Senator Ahearn to the far corners of the country from Rosslare to Carlingford to Letterkenny and Belmullet canvassing the votes of 246 councillors and 50 Oireachtas members from his party.

Retaining his Seanad seat, means the Tipperary South constituency has two Fine Gael Oireachtas members to fight its corner for funding and services in the new FG/FF/Independents coalition Government.

The former Mayor of Clonmel, who lives 2km from Cahir, says his priorities over the next five years will be to continue his work of ensuring the Government delivers a new Garda Station for Clonmel and revitalises the rest of Kickham Barracks and Clonmel town.

He will also be putting pressure on the Government to deliver all the phases of the Cahir Regeneration Scheme on time and within budget.

His other priorities will be to continue pushing for job opportunities as well as investment in education and disability services for south Tipperary.

Senator Ahearn, who was first elected to the Seanad in 2020, was one of five south Tipperary politicians to contest the Seanad election.

Independent Clonmel Cllr Richie Molloy, another former Mayor of Clonmel, also ran for an Administrative Panel seat as the nominee of Family Carers Ireland, which he has worked with for over 25 years.

He performed well in his first Seanad election and was one of the last candidates eliminated from that race after the 12th count.

Cllr Molloy thanked everyone who voted for him.

“I also want to extend my thanks to family, friends, Family Carers Ireland and everyone else who helped me during my campaign. I will continue my work advocating for family carers and the wider community in Tipperary County Council,” he added.

Other first time south Tipperary Seanad candidates who fell short of winning a seat in the upper house were Fianna Fáil Cllr Imelda Goldsboro from Ballingarry, Tipperary County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Declan Burgess of Fine Gael and Independent Cllr Máirín McGrath.

Cllr Goldsboro, who ran in the General Election before Christmas, was nominated by Fianna Fáil to contest the 11-seater Agricultural Panel race. Cllr Burgess ran in the nine-seater Industrial & Commercial Panel election as a nominee of the Credit Union Managers Association while Cllr McGrath was a Cultural & Education Panel candidate nominated to run in the five-seater vocational panel by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

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