No major surprises in Cork North West results

In a constituency that has only ever returned TDs from two traditional parties, one left-leaning candidate ran a close race, thanks in part to a perplexing transfer.

Generally speaking, Cork North West turned up no major surprises as the former minister for agriculture Michael Creed, Aindrias Moynihan and Michael Moynihan, both of Fianna Fáil, all returned to their seats.

But it was Ciarán McCarthy, a barrister by trade based in Ballincollig, who perhaps had the most impressive run in the sprawling constituency, considered by most to lean towards the more conservative.

Mr McCarthy of the Social Democrats came fourth in terms of the race, capturing more than 8% of first preference votes.

With many of those gathered at the count commenting on how Sinn Féin had missed its chance to make an historic bid for a seat in the constituency, Mr McCarthy has managed to successfully establish his profile for any future runs.

John Paul O'Shea, a former county major on his first running with Fine Gael, had been the pundit's pick to come the closest to snatching a seat.

Mr O'Shea, who joined Fine Gael in 2018, made it to the final count in 2016 as an Independent. On that occasion, he fell just 249 votes shy of taking a seat from Michael Moynihan.

First count saw Tara Nic Domhnaill of the Irish Freedom Party and Independent candidate Sean O'Leary eliminated after they failed to reach the quota of 11,593 on first-preferences.

After candidates failed again to reach the quota on the second count, Colette Finn of the Green Party was eliminated. With each of the candidates still failing to reach the quota following the third count, Becky Kealy of Aontú was eliminated and her votes re-distributed.

At this stage, O'Shea was still snapping at the heads of the incumbent deputies.

A first time candidate with Aontú, Beaky Kealy from Kanturk said voters resonated with her party's pro-life message.

That made it all the more perplexing to some in the count centre when almost 2,200 of her transfers went to Mr McCarthy, leapfrogging him ahead of Mr O'Shea.

The Social Democrats had very vocally campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum to repeal the eighth amendment.

Sinn Féin did not run a candidate in the constituency, which according to sources at the count centre was a major mistake; Some polling stations had seen a number of young people querying where they could find the Cork North West Sinn Féin candidate for the party on their ballot papers.

Michael Creed, who topped the poll on the fifth and final count of the evening, said he did not want to speculate on why some of his party colleagues failed to hold on to their seats.

When it was put to him that voters seemed more concerned with health and housing rather than the economy, Mr Creed said:

You can’t build houses or hospitals without resources, and you can’t get resources without a successful economy. I think that those who campaigned on the basis that there was an easier way need to step up to the plate now.