Mayo election wrap up: Barrett finally rewarded for his persistance in election like no other

Rarely in the history of local democracy has a group of candidates been put through such a punishing schedule in the pursuit of a seat.

That very feeling persisted in the Velvet Room of the TF Royal Theatre, Castlebar, in the early hours of last Sunday morning as the count to elect seven members to the Castlebar Municipal District of Mayo County Council turned into a marathon of patience, anxiety and sheer tiredness.

But it also possessed its moments of high drama and intrigue as the field was whittled down from 19 to a super seven over the course of a counting process that extended into a 20th hour.

This endurance test surely took its toll on the candidates and the county staff, led by returning officer John Condon, not to mention the members of the media who stuck it out to the end before facing an early weekend breakfast ahead of catching up on lost sleep.

Such are the rollercoaster emotions of election count weekends.

And, as it turned out, this often nail-biting process only produced a single change, Independent candidate Harry Barrett replacing outgoing councillor Martin McLoughlin whose fate was sealed in a dramatic finish which resulted in three candidates being elected without reaching the quota.

Barrett, finally securing a seat on his third election attempt on the 14th count, was joined in the winner's enclosure by Fine Gael duo, Cyril Burke and Donna Sheridan, both returning to office for another term.

In an election in which non-party candidates attracted a 38% share of the vote, Barrett's transfer pulling power over the closing counts proved the key for him as his final haul of 194 from McLoughlin ensured him of winning the sixth seat without reaching the quota of 1,877 with a return of 1,575.

Accompanied all day at the count centre by his sons Ethan and Eoin, it was clearly an emotional moment for him when his election was confirmed.

Barrett, who served a term on Castlebar Town Council before it was stood down over a decade ago, is now looking forward to bringing a wide range of community issues before the council over the coming years.

"My team and I put in an exhausting campaign - but it was worth it. I thank everybody who supported me and I promise to follow through on the issues I have been raising during the campaign," he said.

Councillor Burke and Councillor Sheridan were also relieved that the process was finally over.

They were also delighted that their party retained three seats on Castlebar Municipal District, Councillor Ger Deere having won his seat some 12 hours earlier.

On the opposite side on the scales of emotion, Independent candidate Stephen Kerr, the big surprise packet of the election in the county town after polling 899 first preferences, was in contention right to the end, losing out by a margin of 307 votes.

Such was the impact he made, Kerr is likely to be a candidate in the general election later this year.

The other four elected candidates were spared some of the nerve-wrecking drama.

Michael Kilcoyne retained his established position of political power in Mayo’s county town by securing the first seat in typically smooth and clinical style.

The popular and experienced independent representative secured a quota-busting first preference return of 2,405, comfortably exceeding the quota of 1,877.

Despite his landslide triumph, his performance revealed a dip of approximately 200 votes, a factor which certainly won’t cost him any sleepless night.

But he witnessed the emergence of a new vote-gathering specialist in Fine Gael Councillor Ger Deere, who increased his popularity by close to 600 votes with a haul of 1,951, which also exceeded the quota.

It was, as stated, a very good day for Fine Gael in the Castlebar Municipal District, attracting 28% of the vote in an election in which a shift against government parties had been widely anticipated but was only sporadically revealed.

Fianna Fáil, on the other hand, secured a 26% rating with two of their outgoing councillors - Blackie Gavin and Al McDonnell - retaining their seats.

However, it was a bitter-sweet experience as their colleague, Martin McLoughlin, lost out after one term in office.

Gavin swept back into power, thanks to the foundation of 1,526 first preferences.

An elected representative since 1994, he said it was the toughest election he ever fought.

"It was a very challenging campaign," he admitted.

He was joined in fourth spot by Al McDonnell, elected to Mayo County Council for a seventh term.

First co-opted in 1987, he can look forward to five more years on the authority to bring his period of service to a remarkable 42 years.

The Moorehall-based representative sealed his seat in the 13th count after securing 79 transfers from Sinn Féin candidate Donna Hyland to bring him over the tally of 1,877 to 1,918.

The election in Castlebar was particularly disappointing for Sinn Féin, which attracted just five per cent of the vote. However, Hyland remained in the race up to a very late stage and 214 transfers from her to Barrett emerged as a significant turning point in shaping the new-look Castlebar Municipal District.