For those of you who have never been to an Irish count, here’s the first boxes being opened… The atmosphere is not unlike a country Mart… It will get more crowded as the day goes on… So far, here’s the tallies for the first preference vote…
Final joint tally: FF 33.43%; Ben Gilroy 6.55; Lab 3.90; FG 38.41; SF 12.92 #mhe13 @irishtimespol @irishtimes
— mary minihan (@minihanmary) March 28, 2013
The greybeards are saying that the FF candidate needs to take transfers two to one to catch Ms McEntee, but since Labour has already been squeezed for first preferences, I’m sure quite where her transfers are coming from…
Sinn Fein beat their 11.7% vote in the Presidential election, but not by as much as they will have hoped… Particularly given the Labour Party (4%) has come in behind Ben Gilroy of Direct Democracy Ireland (6%).
In 2007 some 25% of the SF vote transfered to FF. The sheer size of the FF vote suggests that Micheal Martin has successfully disentangled his party from the recent past and is reconnecting with a large chunk of its former base…
You can follow it more closely on Twitter on the #MHE13 or on the Irish Times live blog… More as it comes in…
With 37.95% turnout, I think the indisputable winner of #mhe13 is “None of the Above”.
— Cillian Fleming (@CLPF1) March 28, 2013
Here’s the Journal.ie’s Tally sheet…
Labour’s Eoin Holmes’ vote has halved since his local election in 2009. He got 2,088 votes then, but is projected to get 959 in #mhe13.
—Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 28, 2013
– Ouch!!
#mhe13 halftime pattern DID last, Final tally puts McEntee 1,207 ahead of Byrne with 6,964 potential transfers available , 3,180 of the SF
— noelwhelan (@noelwhelan) March 28, 2013
That eve of poll Labour leaflet looks even more foolish now #mhe13 twitter.com/electionlit/st…
— Electionlit (@electionlit) March 28, 2013
Everything I’m hearing from Ashbourne over last while telling me we are shortening the gap but not bridging it, @hmcentee has it #mhe13
— Ken Curtin (@kencurtin) March 28, 2013
Micheal Martin chalks up a big advance in real terms with the people who walked away from his party in 2011…
Gerry Adams explains that his parties relatively speaking disappointing performance was down to the fact, in his view, that Labour voters stayed at home rather than registering a protest…
The first preference totals…
And the ups and downs…
Results of the 3rd count: Thomas Byrne total: 9,582. Helen McEntee total: 11,473. McEntee elected without reaching quota. #mhe13
— Christine Bohan (@ChristineBohan) March 28, 2013
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
