Martin Ferris elected TD for Kerry North

Date: 19th May '02

Name: article from RM Irish news round up

Flash: Martin Ferris elected TD for Kerry North
* O Caolain re-elected after topping poll again

There have been scenes of jubilation at the count centre in
Tralee as Sinn Fein's Martin Ferris has topped the poll and taken
a seat from the former Labour Tanaiste, Dick Spring.

In Cavan/Monaghan, outgoing TD Caoimhghin O Caolain again topped
the poll and was elected on the first count.

In Tralee, Martin Ferris and Martin McGuinness were carried
shoulder high to shouts of "Martin, Martin" as the results were
announced.

Paying tribute to his team, Mr Ferris said they had been
campaigning for months and had been quietly confident.

"We were on the election campaign since mid-January and we knew
we were going to do well," he said. The responses on the
doorsteps had confirmed that people were responsing to the Sinn
Fein message, he added.

Sinn Fein Vice-President Pat Doherty paid tribute to the party's
election candidates across the country, where the party gained
3-4% in areas where it had not competed for 80 years. It was "a
good steady expansion", he said.

As party president Gerry Adams arrived at the RDS count centre in
Dublin, there were scenes reminiscent of Belfast City Hall and
the Omagh count centre last year. Alongside successful party
candidate Sean Crowe, they waited for Aengus O Snodaigh and
Dessie Ellis to boost the party's number of elected TDs to four
or five. With Arthur Morgan also looking good in Louth, the
party's ultimate goal is still five or six seats.

Gerry Adams pointed to the party's growsing momentum and even
suggested further successes could be on the horizon.

"In the past year we became the largest nationalist party in the
North, and this year we made a breakthough in the South," he
said. "Next year, we go through to another [Assembly] election
in the North."

Fianna Fail appears to be heading for an overall majority, while
Fine Gael cotinues to crumble.

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