Cork North Central: AAA victory leaves city without a Labour voice

The first anti-austerity TD to be elected outside Dublin — winning the seat at the expense of Labour junior minister Kathleen Lynch — has vowed to bring his constituents’ desire for radical change to Dáil Éireann.

AAA Cork City councillor Mick Barry, 52, was speaking yesterday moments after taking the second seat in a historic breakthrough in the four-seat Cork North Central constituency.

With Ms Lynch’s brother-in-law Ciarán Lynch, chairman of the banking inquiry, having been eliminated in Cork South Central earlier, and following Labour’s wipeout in Cork City Council in the last local elections, Mr Barry’s victory leaves Labour with no political representation in the city.