Castlecomer doesn’t need to worry about a third day of counting with the makeup of the Local Electoral Area confirmed late on Sunday night.
With Pat Fitzpatrick (FF) and Mary Hilda Cavanagh (FG) safely past the post on the first count, party transfers would play a huge part in deciding the next two seats in the six-seater constituency. Michael McCarthy (FF) claimed enough votes from the surplus of Pat Fitzpatrick to be elected on the second count while the surplus of Mary Hilda Cavanagh helped party colleague John Brennan over the line on count three.
The fourth count of the night for Castlecomer saw a double elimination with Independent Ireland candidate Daniel Burke and The Irish People’s Stephen Delaney exiting the race, the surplus of Michael McCarthy and John Brennan not enough to see them continue, meaning the fifth and final count would be a shootout between sitting councillors Michael Delaney (FF), Denis Hynes (SF) and newcomer Maurice Shortall (IND).
In the end, Shortall would take 322 transfers from the previously eliminated Delaney and Burke to put him over the quota of 1,506 to be elected.
With the gap from Delaney (FF) back to Hynes (SF) greater than the surplus available, Michael Delaney was deemed elected without reaching quota with Hynes losing his seat in north Kilkenny.
Hynes’ loss means newly-elected Stephanie Doheny will be the sole Sinn Féin representative at Kilkenny County Council, while Maurice Shortall joins Eugene McGuinness in the independent ranks.
