Fianna Fáil captured over 35% of the vote in Carrick-on-Suir LEA election

Ballingarry’s Cllr Imelda Goldsboro’s poll-topping performance, Michael “Chicken” Brennan winning a seat for Labour and Mullinahone Independent Kevin O’Meara losing his seat were the stand-out results of the Carrick-on-Suir Local Electoral Area race.

Voter turnout in Carrick LEA was 54.3%, which was over 4% lower than the 58.63% turnout in the 2019 election.
Cllr Goldsboro topped the poll for the second election in a row with a first preference vote of 1,898 that was 390 votes clear of the 1,508 quota. She was elected on the first count.

Her performance puts her in a strong position to secure a nomination to represent Fianna Fáil in South Tipperary in the next General Election.

Indeed, the performance of Fianna Fáil in retaining its two council seats in Carrick LEA is another talking point of this race. Cllr Goldsboro’s and Cllr Bourke’s combined first preference votes accounted for 35.5% of the total votes cast.

Sinn Féin’s David Dunne from Carrick-on-Suir, was also elected on the first count and repeated his 2019 election performance of securing the second council seat with a first preference vote of 1,659.

It was the highest personal vote he secured in all five elections he has contested and 377 ballots higher than his 2019 first preference vote.

The election of first time Labour candidate Michael “Chicken” Brennan was the big upset of the race. His 1,486 first preference vote secured him the third seat.

The Killenaule man was elected after the second count early on Sunday morning. The 125 transfers he received from the distribution of Cllr Goldsboro’s 390 transfers in that count pushed him over the quota of 1,508 giving him a total vote of 1,611.

Cllr Brennan is a nephew of the late Ned Brennan who represented Killenaule as a Labour councillor for 33 years from 1967 to 1999.

His election is pivotal in resurrecting the Labour Party from 10 years of electoral obscurity in south Tipperary since the voter backlash over the FG/Lab/Green Government’s austerity measures during the last recession

Michael Cleere was the last Labour councillor from Killenaule and he lost his seat in the 2014 election along with fellow Labour Cllr Seanie Lonergan from Cahir.

A high turnout of voters in Carrick-on-Suir and its hinterland helped Carrick town’s second councillor Kieran Bourke of Fianna Fáil comfortably secure re-election on the fourth count having polled 1,334 first perference votes.

He substantially increased his first preferences from five years ago by 363 votes.

Five candidates from Carrick contested the 2019 election but this time Cllrs Bourke and Dunne were the only candidates from the town. Cllr Bourke said the fact there were no other Carrick town candidates running had been a big concern for him rather than reassurance as the transfers from the other Carrick candidates helped get him elected in 2019.

He believed the higher turnout of voters from Carrick, which was estimated to be about 58%, was a big help in securing his and Cllr Dunne’s re-election as these voters gave their 1 and 2 votes for the town candidates.

Fine Gael Cllr Mark Fitzgerald, who secured 1,339 first preferences, was the final councillor elected following the fifth count.

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.

Fitzgerald was just over 300 votes clear of O’Meara after the first count and the Mullinahone man was unable to bridge the gap. O’Meara’s final vote was 1,319.

Mullinahone based Irish Freedom Party candidate Martin Murphy polled 299 first preferences and was eliminated after the fourth count.

Carrick LEA’s newly elected councillors reported bread and butter issues ranging from housing, health services and roads to speeding traffic and services for elderly residents were the main issues raised with them on the doorsteps. Immigration was raised but only by some voters.