Flynn Elected As Extraordinary Shannon Count Concludes Election 2019 In Clare

Shannon Councillor Gerry Flynn has been re-elected after two recounts and a marathon day in the Shannon Electoral Area.

The Independent Councillor held onto his seat after both he and Shannon Fine Gael candidate Garret McPhillips finished level at the end of Count 6 – Flynn was elected as he had won the most First Preference Votes.

There were extraordinary scenes at the end of the recount as the two candidates, and some of their agents, gathered in the count area to examine ballot papers, surrounded by a silent crowd of onlookers, keen to hear what was happening inside.

Councillor Flynn became the 28th and final Councillor to be elected, joining Cathal Crowe and Pat McMahon (FF), Mike McKee (SF), John Crowe (FG) and PJ Ryan and Michael Begley (IND).

Earlier, the five sitting Killaloe area Councillors were all returned – Fianna Fáil trio Alan O’Callaghan, Pat Hayes and Tony O’Brien, as well as Fine Gael’s Joe Cooney and Pat Burke, with Ger O’Halloran missing out.

The government party fared better in Ennis, where their candidate Mary Howard topped the poll and was elected alongside Johnny Flynn and Paul Murphy, as well as Independent Ann Norton and Fianna Fáil’s Clare Colleran Molloy, Pat Daly and Mark Nestor, now the youngest member of the local authority.

There were three seats for Fianna Fáil in Kilrush – Bill Chambers, poll-topper PJ Kelly and new Councillor Cillian Murphy – with Independent Ian Lynch and Fine Gael’s Gabriel Keating also elected.

While last night, four new faces were elected in Ennistymon – Joe Killeen and Shane Talty (FF), Joe Garrihy (FG) and the Green Party’s Roisín Garvey.