Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
Sinn Fein’s Pa Daly has just been elected at the general election count centre in Killarney.
The party’s spokesman on justice in the outgoing Dáil, he took the second of the five seats, joining Independent Michael Healy-Rae on the return to do business in the capital.
Daly was elected in the seventh count having received 949 transfers from his running mate Stephanie O’Shea who had been eliminated after the sixth count.
It brought him to 13,751 which was almost 400 votes above the quota and returning officer Padraig Buke deemed the Tralee solicitor to be elected.
Daly’s surplus of 668 is currently being distributed at the Killarney Spots and Leisure Centre and the next candidates to get past the post are expected to be Independent Danny Healy-Rae and Fianna Fáil’s Noma Foley.
Healy-Rae is currently on 11,708 votes which is over 200 ahead of the outgoing Minister for Education on 11,471.
The real battle will come later tonight when Michael Cahill (FF) and Billy O’Shea (FG) fight it out for the fifth and final seat.
Cahill is currently on 9,008 votes with O’Shea on 8,420 and that cushion of close on 600 is likely to prove decisive.
The other candidates still in the game and their votes are Cleo Murphy (GP) 2,306, Mike Kennedy (Lab) 2,223, Linda Gordon Kelleher (FF) 2,183, Michelle Keane (Ind) 2,030 and Catherine O’Sullivan (Aon) 2,020.
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