Three members of the Healy-Rae family were elected to Kerry County Council on the first counts in their respective electoral areas.
Johnny Healy-Rae, the eldest son of TD Danny Healy-Rae, was one of three candidates elected on the first count in the Kenmare district. The 34-year-old topped the poll with 3,023 first preference votes, with the quota being 1,950. Fianna Fáil candidates Michael Cahill and Norma Moriarty have also exceeded the quota in Kenmare on the first count.
Patrick Connor-Scarteen (FG), John Francis Flynn (FF) and Dan McCarthy (Ind) filled the last three seats on the eighth count.
Jackie Healy-Rae (24), the son of TD Michael Healy-Rae, was elected on the first count, winning 2,621 first preferences in Castleisland.
Charlie Farrelly (Independent), Fionnán Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil) and Bobby O’Connell (FG) took the remaining seats.
Mr O’Connell was the only incumbent in the new four-seat electoral area to be returned. His party colleague and sitting councillor, Pat McCarthy was eliminated on the third count and Fianna Fáil’s Tom McEllistrim also lost his seat.
“Last night I was the palest, most nervous-looking man you’d find in Ireland because you never know what to expect – politics is like a football match and you never know what way it can go,” Jackie Healy-Rae said.
“But all I can say is that since I started canvassing five months ago I left no stone unturned and someone said to me last night, I might have even turned them twice.”
Mr McEllistrim blamed his disappointing showing on the redrawing of the boundaries. “You get days like this and I’ve been around politics long enough to know there are always swings and roundabouts and of course, the Mack will be back,” he said.
Maura Healy-Rae, the eldest daughter of the TD Danny Healy-Rae, was elected in the Killarney area. Ms Healy-Rae (28), a teacher at St Brogan’s College in Bandon, topped the poll with 3,099 first preferences, nearly twice the quota.
Michael Gleeson, of the South Kerry Independent Alliance, was also elected on the first count in the Killarney area. Niall Kelleher (FF) and Brendan Cronin (Ind) were elected on the second count and Donal Grady (Ind) came home on the third count. Niall Botty O’Callaghan (Ind) and Marie Moloney (Labour) took the last two seats.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Kerry, Norma Foley was re-elected, topping the poll in the Tralee electoral area with 2,106 votes, which exceeded the quota by 481.
Fianna Fáil’s Mikey Sheehy – son of eight times All-Ireland winning footballer, Mickey Sheehy snr – took a seat for the party in the Tralee area as did 2014 poll topper Toireasa Ferris (Sinn Féin), who won 1,539 first preferences.
Jim Finucane (FG), Terry O’Brien (Lab), Pa Daly (Sinn Féin) and Independent Sam Locke took the other seats.
The results of the Corca Dhuibhne electoral area have been confirmed following a full re-check of votes. Deputy returning officer, Michael Scannell formally declared that Michael O’Shea (Fianna Fáil), Breandan Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil) and Seamus Cosaí Fitzgerald (Fine Gael) were elected in the three-seat electoral area.
Fine Gael won three seats in the Listowel area with poll-topper Aoife Thornton, Mike Kennelly and Michael Foley all elected. Sinn Féin took two seats through Tom Barry and Robert Beasley while Fianna Fáil’s Jimmy Moloney was elected on the seveth count.
(First preference votes: candidates elected in bold)
Castleisland: 4 seats
Jackie Healy-Rae (Ind) - 2,621 (elected count 1)
Charlie Farrelly (Ind) - 1,668 (elected count 2)
Bobby O'Connell (Fine Gael) - 1,459 (elected count 4)
Fionnán Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil) - 1,037 (elected count 4)
Kate Mc Sweeney (Sinn Féin) - 973
Pat McCarthy (Fine Gael)- 795
Thomas Mc Ellistrim (Fianna Fáil) - 628
Corca Dhuibhne: 3 seats
Michael D O'Shea (Fianna Fáil) - 1,680 (elected count 3)
Breandán Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil) - 1,280 (elected count 4)
Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald (Fine Gael) - 1,006 (elected count 5)
Tommy Griffin (Fine Gael) - 1,251
Robert Brosnan (Sinn Féin) - 833
Michael Fitzgerald (Green Party) - 777
David Russell (Ind) - 664
Kenmare: 6 seats
Johnny Healy-Rae (Ind) - 3,023 (elected on count 1)
Michael Cahill (Fianna Fáil) - 2,219 (elected on count 1)
Norma Moriarty (Fianna Fáil) - 1,966 (elected on count 1)
John Francis Flynn (Fianna Fáil) - 1,375 (elected on count 8)
Patrick Connor-Scarteen (Fine Gael) - 1,320 (elected on count 8)
Dan McCarthy (Ind) - 1,050 (elected on count 8)
Damian Quigg (Sinn Féin) - 766
Cleo Murphy (Green Party) - 691
Patrick Lyne (Fine Gael) - 444
Donie O'Sullivan Rua (Fine Gael) - 428
Luke Crowley-Holland (Labour) - 364
Killarney: 7 seats
Maura Healy-Rae (Independent) - 3,099 (elected on count 1)
Michael Gleeson (South Kerry Ind All) - 1,983 (elected on count 1)
Brendan Cronin (Ind) - 1,505 (elected on count 2)
Niall Kelleher (Fianna Fáil) - 1,243 (elected on count 2)
Donal Grady (Ind) 1,324 (elected on count 3)
Niall Botty O'Callaghan (Ind) - 1,065 (elected on count 6)
Marie Moloney (Labour) - 871 (elected on count 7)
John Sheahan (Fine Gael) - 827
John Buckley (Sinn Féin) - 485
Neily O'Connor (Fianna Fáil) - 266
Listowel: 6 seats
Aoife Thornton (Fine Gael) - 2,578 (elected count 1)
Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael) - 2,064 (elected count 1)
Robert Beasley (Sinn Féin) - 1,482 (elected count 4)
Tom Barry (Sinn Féin) - 1,438 (elected on count 7)
Jimmy Moloney (Fianna Fáil) - 1,262 (elected on count 7)
Michael Foley (Fine Gael) - 1,239 (elected on count 7)
John Lucid (Fianna Fáil)- 1,298
Michael Pixie O'Gorman (Independent) - 1,022
Sonny Foran (Aontú) - 782
John Martin O'Sullivan (Independent) - 438
Tralee: 7 seats
Norma Foley (Fianna Fáil) – 2,106 (elected count 1)
Toiréasa Ferris (Sinn Féin) – 1,539 (elected count 4)
Terry O' Brien (Labour) – 1,462 (elected count 7)
Jim Finucane (Fine Gael) – 1,202 (elected count 11)
Mikey Sheehy (Fianna Fáil) – 1,180 (elected count 11)
Pa Daly (Sinn Féin) – 1,123 – (elected count 12)
Sam Locke (Independent) – 810 (elected count 13)
Anne-Marie Fuller (Green Party) – 683
Cathal Foley (Sinn Féin) – 653
Bridget O'Brien (Fine Gael) – 612
Ben Slimm (Labour) – 420
Johnnie Wall (Fianna Fáil) –412
Mary Fitzgibbon (Aontú) –318
Yvonne Dineen (Independent) – 174
Ted Cronin (Independent) – 197
Bec Fahy (Solidarity-PBP) - 174
Denis O'Reilly (Independent) – 28
