FF on verge of Fermoy treble, O’Shea steals show in Kanturk

Fianna Fail are on the verge of achieving a remarkable three out of the six seats on offer in the Fermoy electoral area, although it will be a Labour Party man who looks odds on to top the poll when the first count is announced around 6pm.

Fermoy-based Cllr Noel McCarthy (Lab) is likely to be elected first. He should be followed then by the three Fianna Fail candidates, Kevin O’Keeffe and Frank O’Flynn – who are seeking re-election – and newcomer Ian Doyle who runs a fuel merchants business in Charleville.

Fine Gael will be disappointed to return just one of their two candidates who will be Kay Dawson.

Meanwhile, it also looks a certainty that Sinn Fein will pick up a seat with Mitchelstown-based mother of one June Murphy.

Meanwhile in the Kanturk Electoral Area, Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) has stolen the show with a tallied first preference vote of more than 4,400 and may on that showing be considering a future shot at a Dail seat.

It looks as if Bernard Moynihan, brother of FF TD Michael Moynihan, will pick up the second seat with his party colleague Cllr Dan Joe Fitzgerald following close behind.

Fine Gael look in trouble with only one of their three candidates, Newmarket-based Cllr Gerard Murphy, certain to win a seat.

It’s a lottery for the other two remaining seats at the moment, but Sinn Fein are confident that Melissa Mullane will gain one.

That leaves outgoing Fine Gael councillors Noel Buckley and Noel O’Connor fighting for the last with Cllr Ronan Sheehan (Lab). The first count here is also expected at around 6pm.

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