FOUR women from West Cork have gained seats in Seanad Éireann.
Last week’s elections threw up some political surprises for the West Cork candidates, with former Cork South West Fianna Fáil TD Margaret Murphy O’Mahony claiming a seat in the upper house, while Fine Gael’s Tom Lombard lost out.
Sen Lombard’s failure to retain his seat is seen as another blow for the party in Cork South West, following last year’s disappointing general election result.
His party colleague, Cllr Noel O’Donovan, standing in his first Seanad election, was also unsuccessful in his bid to get a seat. Sinn Féin, however, saw the election of their former general election candidate in Cork North West – Nicole Ryan – while Fine Gael’s Eileen Lynch also claimed a seat.
Sen Murphy O’Mahony, who was the first ever female TD to be elected in Cork South West, now also has the honour of being the first female elected to the Seanad from the same constituency.
She was elected on the labour panel, receiving 66,000 votes in the first count and was deemed elected on the twelfth count with 105,578 votes, having passed the quota of 95,751.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Sen Murphy O’Mahony said she is delighted to be back where she wanted to be.
‘I’m looking forward to working in the Seanad. The Seanad campaign is always very tough and is like no other campaign really. It’s hard but certainly worth it,’ she said.
Incidentally, she was one of two Bandon candidates elected on the labour panel, after Nessa Cosgrove – a Labour councillor now living in Sligo – was also elected on her first Seanad outing. Her brother, Cork city Cllr Shane O’Callaghan, also contested a seat but was unsuccessful.
Outgoing Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard, standing in the agricultural panel, received 35,000 votes after the first count and was eliminated on the 17th count, with 45,396 votes.
His West Cork colleague, Cllr Noel O’Donovan, polled 41,000 votes on the first count in the administrative panel but was eliminated on the eighth count, with 52,151 votes.
At the time of going to press, there is no confirmation whether any of the unsuccessful West Cork candidates will get the nod from the Taoiseach when he announces his 11 appointees to the Seanad, to complete the chamber’s 60 members.
The election was seen as a spectacular result for Sinn Féin’s Nicole Ryan, who polled a very respectable 5,452 first preference votes in her first general election, in Cork North West, last November.
She secured a seat on the administrative panel, receiving 140,000 votes in the first count and finishing up with 144,000 votes, having reached the quota of 143,626.
‘I am absolutely thrilled to be elected to the Seanad. It is an absolute honour that I will now be able to bring my work standing up for young people, women and people suffering from addiction to the Oireachtas,’ said Sen Ryan.
‘I want to play my part in ensuring that the people I represent, and whose values I share, will have a strong progressive, young voice fighting their corner at every turn,’ said the 31-year-old addiction counsellor.
It wasn’t all gloom for Fine Gael, though, as Macroom Cllr Eileen Lynch was elected to the agricultural panel.
She thanked all those who voted for her, canvassed for her, and those who had even provided ‘home made dinners and lodgings’!
There was disappointment, however, for former Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada, who ran as an independent in the educational and cultural panel, while Bandon-based Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Gillian Coughlan was also unsuccessful, after running for the agricultural panel.
Meanwhile, the chair of the Béal na Bláth commemoration committee, Cork city Clllr Garret Kelleher, also got elected to the Seanad, on the industrial and commercial panel.
