Ex-Fine Gael TD Áine Collins lost out on the final seat in the Macroom area as two party colleagues, Eileen Lynch and Ted Lucey completed a FG hatrick in the six-seater.

The population of the Macroom electoral area is 36,844 and, despite the removal of Blarney from the district into the city jurisdiction, the number of seats up for grabs there will remain at six.

Angry constituents of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan are due to protest again outside his office in Listowel, Co Kerry today against the ban on turf-cutting.

THE late Dermot Earley’s family were honoured at the GAA’s president’s awards last night with the creation of a new category, named after the former Roscommon footballer, which they won.