What the Kildare South first count results tell us

WITH a first count finally arriving 12 hours after the count centre opened in Punchestown, it was Kildare South who won the bragging rights by getting called by Returning Officer Eoghan Ryan first.

Both the electorate and the valid poll were down substantially on the 2020 figures, with the former dropping from 77,719 to 74,243, and the latter from 47,260 to 42,934, which left the 2024 quota to get elected at 10,734. This was due to areas like Caragh and Ladytown reverting to the North for this election.

Martin Heydon (FG) topped the poll as predicted with 9,262 votes, although 1,472 short of automatic election.

In second place is Senator Fiona O’Loughlin (FF) with 7,489 votes, just 248 clear of third place – and first surprise – Cllr Shonagh Ni Raghallaigh (SF) in only her second ever hustings, having been first elected to Kildare County Council in June.

The man in the sweating seat in this three-seater is Senator Mark Wall (Lab) on 6,654 votes, a troublesome 587 behind the last seat of O’Raghallaigh.

The biggest surprise in this constituency is the collapse of the vote of the two sitting TDs Cathal Berry (Ind) and Patricia Ryan (Ind).

Berry’s vote has dropped from 5,742 in 2020 to 3,007 today, whilst Ryan’s has picked up less than seven per cent of the first preferences she got last time out – from 10,155 when she topped the poll in 2020, to just 678 today.

Of the 15 candidates, just two others polled into four figures - Chris Pender (SD) 3,157, and Melissa Byrne (Aontu) on 1,677.

Both Edel Doran (II – 123) and Leanne O’Neill (Ind - 152) were eliminated on this count.