Two out of three ain’t bad for Fine Gael

Despite the bitter rivalry between the Kelly, Clune, and Harris teams during the campaign, the battle plan succeeded in the end and the party nailed two seats in the South.

The third day of the Ireland South count saw two Fine Gael candidates, sitting MEP Sean Kelly and former senator Deirdre Clune, take the European crown and the second Fianna Fáil candidate, a Green, Labour, and anti-bailout campaigner bow out.

Just 3,562 votes separated Ms Clune and Mr Harris by the end. Ms Clune described herself as “thrilled, delighted and really honoured to be elected”, while Fine Gael MEP, former GAA president Seán Kelly, described the dual victory as a great day “for the Fine Gael family” in the South as they bucked national trends.

Kieran Hartley, eliminated after the 11th count, said he was “proud to represent the Fianna Fáil party”.

“This was my first entry into politics and I just saw what can be achieved in seven weeks,” he said. “I met decent people around the country. There’s an appetite for honesty and truth and that’s where our politics has to go.”

Independent candidate and campaign dark horse Diarmuid O’Flynn of ‘Ballyhea Says No’ said he was not surprised by his return because that was the reaction we were getting on the ground”.

“We would have preferred another few weeks on the campaign trail to reach more people,” he said. “But the bigger thing here is that we have managed to get the bank debt back on the agenda, and specifically the promissory notes issue.”

He was knocked out at the end of the 10th count, while outspoken Labour candidate and sitting MEP Phil Prendergast was eliminated after the ninth.

First-time Green candidate Grace O’Sullivan had her European ambitions quashed in the eighth count and yesterday described herself as “delighted and humbled by her vote”.

Neither she nor Ms Prendergast were at the count centre for their eliminations yesterday.

Ms O’Sullivan, a mother of three, said she was “back at home with the girls”, while Ms Prendergast joked on Twitter: “have four duvets washed now, weeding next”.

Former MEP Ms Prendergast, who was a vocal critic of Labour leader Eamon Gilmore early in the campaign, said “we did our very best and could do no more”.

There was a strong transfer rate from Ms Prendergast to the Fine Gael candidates and, in particular, a potential ‘woman vote’ to Ms Clune, who picked up 6,578 votes from Ms Prendergast’s 42,213 votes.

Ms O’Sullivan, a Tramore-based ecologist and former Greenpeace activist, said: “I can’t believe that we got the vote we did. The whole campaign, the whole process was just incredible.”

The big question is whether she will now run for the Green Party in the general election.

Ms O’Sullivan said the Green Party “will have to work on getting their message out there”.

“Our message is simple; it’s about people, health and social justice, it’s about a sustainable economy. The others are stuck in elitist politics” she said.

She said she had spoken to party leader Eamon Ryan and they “will do an evaluation of the party’s vote”.