Longford Westmeath Count Centre – Live Blog

Written 2 years ago by Paul Downey

  • Peter Burke (FG) and Willie Penrose (LAB) take final two seats at 8.30am on Thursday morning
  • James Bannon (FG) eliminated at 5am on Thursday morning
  • Willie Penrose (LAB) finishes six votes ahead of Bannon after second recount
  • Kevin Boxer Moran (Independent Alliance) takes second seat on thirteenth count on Monday
  • Connie Gerety-Quinn (FF) eliminated after earlier recount
  • Robert Troy (FF) elected on first count on Saturday
  • Count being held in St Dominic’s Community Centre, Keenagh
  • Eighteen candidates ran for four seats

 

08:40 (Thursday)- The marathon General Election count in Longford-Westmeath has come to an end in its sixth day, with Fine Gael’s Peter Burke and Labour’s Willie Penrose taking the final two seats.

It follows the distribution of Fine Gael candiate James Bannon’s 7,000 votes, after he was eliminated after a lengthy recount came to a conclusion earlier this morning.

Bannon’s transfers saw running mate Peter Burke exceed the quota, while Willie Penrose took the final seat without reaching the quota, as Burke’s surplus was not sufficient for Sinn Fein’s Paul Hogan to overtake Penrose’s total.

They join Fianna Fail’s Robert Troy and Independent Alliance candidate Kevin Boxer Moran in taking the four seats.

 

02:30- Counting in the Longford Westmeath constituency for the General Election will resume for a fifth day this afternoon.

Following a request by outgoing Fine Gael TD James Bannon, a full recount began yesterday but was adjourned at 2.15 this morning.

It is believed that Labour’s Willie Penrose is less than five votes ahead of Bannon, with the candidate on the lowest votes after the recount to be eliminated.

 

 

13:35 – Little has changed since the recount began earlier this morning. Result not expected until late this evening at the earliest. The returning officer is currently adjudicating on queried ballots with candidates and their representatives. Other staff are taking a break.

 

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01:41 – Recount to begin at 10:30am.

 

 

 

01:33 

 

 

 

00:48

 

 

 

 

00:43

 

 

 

 

00:14

 

 

 

 

23:43

 

 

 

 

22:58

 

 

 

21:35

 

 

 

 

 

20:10

 

 

 

 

19:32 

 

 

 

 

 

18:59

 

 

18:07 – Crowds are gathering here as they await an announcement from the returning officer Imelda Brannigan.

 

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17:58 – James Bannon says he is feeling quietly confident but admits fight to hold seat probably toughest in his political career. He says it’s still also possible that Longford might not have a TD.

 

 

 

17:13 – Proceedings here are not expected to run past midnight, meaning a fourth day of counting in Keenagh is very likely.

 

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16:43

 

 

16:15 – Much fewer count staff working today

 

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16:05  

 

 

 

 

15:08 – Sinn Féin’s Paul Hogan says there has been ‘minimal change’ in the recount so far

 

 

 

14:57 – The recount is just about to resume here in Keenagh as day three continues.

 

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03:57

 

 

 

 

02:56

 

 

01:39

 

 

 

00:41

 

 

 

 

 

 

23:44

 

 

 

22:30 – Former FF TD Donie Cassidy has been explaining what’s happening now in the count process.

 

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22:17 – Counting staff sifting through the ballot papers as representatives and supporters of candidates watch on

 

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21:25

 

 

 

 

21:00 – Returning Officer Imelda Brannigan has shown journalists an extract of the relevant rules at play here.

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20:55 

 

 

20:06 – BREAKING

 

 

 

19:25 – Former local FG TF Paul McGrath believes there could be a recount of votes because very little separates Bannon and Gerety-Quinn.

 

19:09

 

 

 

18:47

 

 

 

18:19

 

 

 

 

18:17 – Tom Farrell, FG Councillor on Westmeath County Council, says it will be a dog fight to the end.

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18:06

 

17:33

 

 

17:16 – Connie Gerety Quinn isn’t counting her chickens or her eggs

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17:05 

 

 

 

 

16:40 – James Morgan, IND Alliance, concedes but doesn’t know where he’s transfers will go

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16:03 

 

 

15:30 – Kevin Boxer Moran (Independent Alliance) says it’s still too close to call. He reckons James Bannon could come back into contention.

 

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14:59

 

 

 

14.30 – Peter Burke says that Fine Gael have a brilliant chance of winning two seats in Longford/Westmeath

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13:58

 

 

 

13:16 – Paul Hogan (SF) says he is hopeful he can hang on but says it’s very hard to call.

 

 

 

 

12:56 – Brian Fagan (Independent Alliance) is the latest to go. His 1,053 votes will now be redistributed.

 

 

12:20 – Noel McKervey (Catholic Democrats) eliminated on sixth count. Redistribution of his 686 votes is now under way.

 

 

11:30 – Dom Parker (AAAPBB) eliminated on fifth count. His 591 votes will now be redistributed.

 

 

13.00

11:28 – Counts are expected to move quickly through the early part of the morning at least.

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11:07 – Barbara Smyth (Ind) eliminated on fourth count. Her 312 votes are now being redistributed.

 

 

 

10:21 – Counting resume here in Keenagh shortly with the redistribution of James Miller’s votes.

 

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00.15

 

00:10 – James Miller of the Public Banking Alliance has been eliminated on the third count. His 232 votes will be redistributed tomorrow morning. Counting has been adjourned until 10:30am tomorrow.

 

 

 

23:40 

 

 

 

 

23:00 – Willie Penrose has conceded that he will not win back his seat which he has held for over 20 years. He says he will now go back to being a ‘private citizen’ but believes Labour will bounce back.

 

 

 

22:17 – Willie Penrose has arrived at the count centre and is about to speak to the media. The outgoing Labour TD faces an uphill battle to retain his seat.

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22:00 – Little movement here in terms of a second count being announced. Staff are still sorting through Robert Troy’s surplus.

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20:50 – Robert Troy of Fianna Fail is the first past the post (see above). His surplus of 599 will now be redistributed to other candidates. He believes Connie Gerety-Quinn will benefit strongly from those transfers.

 

 

19:40 – Candidates and their representatives are now going through doubtful papers with the returning officer. Staff are also still working through some ballot papers. Everyone is hopeful an announcement is imminent.

 

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19:28 – FG’s Peter Burke says he is taking nothing for granted yet and is hopeful James Bannon could still claim a seat.

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18:30 – Kevin Boxer Moran of the Independent Alliance says he is ‘excited’ by his first preference showing in the final tallies.

 

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17:30 – Fianna Fáil’s Robert Troy says he sensed ‘anger’ with FG and LAB at the doors.

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16:50 – Fine Gael’s Gabrielle McFadden says the party has taken a ‘huge hammering’ nationally. She believes people have made a ‘big mistake’ in not sticking with her party and Labour and accepts that she is out of the running for a seat.

 

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16:00 – Former Fine Gael councillor for Athlone Mark Cooney says the expected result is extremely disappointing. He believes however that James Bannon could still claim a seat.

 

 

 

15:29 – Independent Alliance candidate James Morgan believes he is unlikely to win a seat. He says he’s surprised at the number of Longford votes that have gone to Westmeath candidates.

 

 

14:42 – The final tally results are in as counting proper is under way. FF’s Robert Troy looks set to reach the quota on the first count. Three outgoing TDs – Labour’s Willie Penrose, FG’s James Bannon and FG’s Gabrielle McFadden – look like they will have to rely on transfers.

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14:17 – Independent Alliance candidate Brian Fagan believes people were ‘afraid’ and voted for the usual parties because they believe it will lead to stability.

 

 

13:40 – Fianna Fáil’s Robert Troy looks almost certain to top the poll here if the tallies are to be believed. He currently leads the way with 126 of 168 boxes tallied. The tallies we are awaiting are in the Mullingar area where he would be expected to perform well.

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13:10 – Awaiting the final tally result here from the parties. Votes are now being separated by first preference ahead of the first count proper.

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13:05 – Kevin Boxer Moran of the Independent Alliance has surged ahead as the results of tallies from Athlone boxes are calculated.

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12:17 – Green Party candidate Manchán Magan says he never really expected to be elected but saw the campaign as an opportunity to raise green issues.

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12:00 – Little change here with almost all of the boxes in Longford tallied. James Bannon is still the man to catch. Fianna Fáil people on the ground here very happy with the performances of Connie Gerety-Quinn and Robert Troy.

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11:24 – James Bannon still in the lead according to tallies of Longford boxes. He is ahead of James Morgan, Connie Gerety-Quinn and Robert Troy.

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11:10 – Fianna Fáil Councillor Aengus O’Rourke, who had hoped to run as a third candidate for the party in Longford Westmeath, says he expected Connie Gerety-Quinn to perform strongly in Longford. He says it will still be difficult to get two seats, without a three candidate strategy.

 

10:26 – Tallies of boxes in Longford show James Bannon and James Morgan doing well.

 

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10:00 – Ind. Alliance Kevin Boxer Moran performing very strongly in Athlone with almost 60% of first preferences in one urban box.

 

09:28 – FF’s Connie Gerety-Quinn polling very well in early tallies from boxes in Longford. She is ahead of FG’s James Bannon, Ind. Alliance’s James Morgan and FF’s Robert Troy.

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09:12 – Sinn Féin’s Paul Hogan says they are ‘very much in the running’ for a seat based on this morning’s exit polls.

 

09:00 – Ballot boxes are being opened and counting is under way. A good crowd has gathered at the community centre.

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08:45  – Counting of ballots about to begin at the count centre here in Keenagh.

 

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08:30 – Welcome to Midlands 103’s live coverage of the count in the Longford Westmeath constituency.

Will Faulkner’s prediction:

LONGFORD WESTMEATH

A tough one to call. Let’s start with a certainty: Fianna Fáil shot itself in the foot in this constituency! Aengus O’Rourke was just shy of 9,000 first preference votes in the 2014 by-election and the absence of an Athlone candidate plays perfectly for Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, the former Soldier of Destiny now under an Independent Alliance flag. The selection of Connie Gerety Quinn sparked an unseemly public spat with party headquarters and you would question the vigour with which Fianna Fáil stalwarts will campaign for her. That all paves a comfortable return to Dáil Éireann for Robert Troy but, as the party with the largest local authority representation in the constituency, one seat from four will be a disappointment.

James Bannon received 9,129 first preference votes in 2011 and he is assured of another strong performance, given the strong farmer support for Fine Gael and the comparatively smaller field of candidates in Longford. Gabrielle McFadden will remember that her running mate Peter Burke polled ahead of her sister Nicky by 500 first preferences in 2011. The vote in her native Athlone will be more fragmented than Mullingar, giving Burke – who’s been building a strong council profile – a clear advantage.

The elephant in the room is whether Labour can retain a seat in this constituency. Willie Penrose has topped more polls than your local ESB worker but this election is unlike any other. His council colleagues are bruised and bewildered after a public backlash in the 2014 local elections, with only two – his brother Johnny and Mick Dollard in Mullingar – clinging to seats. The former Minister of State will argue that he resigned from high office in opposition to the closure of Columb Barracks and that he is almost singularly responsible for reducing the bankruptcy term but will these worthy distinctions stand out on polling day? If the national opinion polls are even remotely accurate, I will be more shocked if Willie Penrose holds the seat than if he loses it!

The local elections suggest the Labour support has migrated to both Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, with the latter unable to capitalise. Paul Hogan pulled 4,339 first preferences in 2011, less than half a quota, but grew to 7,548 in the by-election two years ago. There are several left-leaning independents in the race, including a disaffected former Sinn Féin candidate in Longford, and this will help Councillor Hogan in transfers beyond his Athlone base. This is his fourth crack at winning a Dáil seat, at a time when Sinn Féin support is between 15% and 20% nationally, so it’s now or never for him.

A four seat constituency such as Longford-Westmeath is ripe for the Independent Alliance, if they can optimise their vote management. James Morgan won over 12% of first preferences in the 2014 by-election, closely followed by Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran and Brian Fagan was a further 1,500 votes behind. Given the absence of a Fianna Fáil candidate in Athlone, his visible hands-on presence during the recent flooding and the transfer agreement between the three IA candidates, this makes Boxer Moran a strong bet for the final seat.

Prediction:

Robert Troy FF

James Bannon FG

Paul Hogan SF

Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran IND

Will Faulkner presents The Midlands Today Show, weekdays 9am-12pm. He was named in Ireland’s top three news broadcasters at the 2015 PPI Radio Awards.