Sinn Fein victories transform Irish politics
Date: 20th May '02
Name: article from RM Irish news round up
Sinn Fein victories transform Irish politics
In a historic breakthrough, Sinn Fein has won five seats in the
Dublin parliament, winning three of them on the first count with
poll-topping performances.
From Tralee to Tallaght, Ardee to the RDS, they shouted
jubilantly, waving a sea of tricolours as they celebrated the
election of Sean Crowe, Caoimghin O Caolain, Martin Ferris,
Arthur Morgan, Aengus O Snodaigh.
The Brandon Hotel in Tralee throbbed with emotion as "Irish
Republican Navy" man Martin Ferris savoured his victory, having
headed the poll with 9,496 first preference votes and getting
elected on the second count. With him was devout campaigner and
Mid-Ulster MP, Martin McGuinness, who was also shouldered as a
hero to the cheers of hundreds of supporters when the result was
announced.
Some of Ferris's supporters wept for joy and celebrations went on
late into the night with bonfires blazing around the deputy's
home village of Ardfert. His Australian-born wife, Marie, and six
children, Eamon, Oonagh, Toiresa, Deirdre, Cianan and Martin
Junior, were all at the count.
In his speech at the end of the count, Deputy Ferris paid moving
tributes to his wife and family. "I thank Marie for bringing up
such a beautiful family who were so supportive of me through the
dark years," he said.
Deputy Ferris also said that, 32 years ago, he became involved in
the struggle for equality, justice and peace, and for many of
those dark years there was no option but pain and suffering for
all the people.
"I don't want in any way to say we suffered more than anybody
else. People suffered, the enemy suffered and we suffered," he
declared, saying he was committed to a united Ireland through
peaceful and democratic means.
DUBLIN REWARD
It was also an emotional moment in Dublin when lifelong activist
Sean Crowe doubled his vote and topped the poll with 7,416 votes
in the four-seat constituency of Dublin South-West.
Crowe became the first Sinn Fein TD to be elected in Dublin since
the days of rebel Countess Markievicz. It was a historic victory
and a final reward for activists who struggled for decades
against the oppression of the post-colonial "Free State".
Hugged by his wife before being inevitably hoisted onto the
shoulders of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams and Vice President
Pat Doherty, Crowe maintained his composure.
"It's a great result for the people of Dublin South West and a
massive endorsement for Sinn Fein," said Crowe.
It was a desperately hard-fought battle which ultimately
saw Fine Gael golden-boy Brian Hayes come to a sticky end.
Adams and supporters let out a huge roar in the count centre in
Tallaght as the result was announced: Crowe was through on the
first count and the other parties would have to to fight it out
between them.
HISTORIC ECHOES
Within an hour, Caoimhghin O Caolain, who was the party's only
sitting TD, was comfortably returned in Cavan/Monaghan despite a
major shake-up in the constituency.
In the same hall in 1997, he stormed to victory by topping the
poll to win the seat once held by Kieran Doherty, who died on
hunger-strike in 1981. The election became a model for the party
throughout the 26 Counties and Doherty's portrait hangs proudly
on the wall in O Caolain's Leinster House office.
Five years on, O Caolain was once again carried on the shoulders
of his supporters as the Monaghan count centre reverberated again
to the sound of Republican cheers.
But as the day wore on, it became clear that history would be
repeated in the neighbouring constituency of Louth, but with one
important difference.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Arthur Morgan almost
doubled the party's vote and won a seat first captured by H-Block
candidate Paddy Agnew. On this occasion, however, Agnew was
present to watch Morgan reclaim the seat. A tall, softly spoken
man, Agnew expressed his delight to have a successor in the seat.
Shortly afterwards, Aengus O Snodaigh helped to open a new
chapter in Irish history in Dublin. The republican labour
campaign against deprivation and inequality had resonated loudly
throughout Ireland's capital. In a breakthrough, O Snodaigh
trebled the party's vote to follow Crowe and raise the flag in
his constituency of Dublin South-Central.
PIPPED AT THE POST
The results came as a shock to many, but not to the Sinn Fein
workers on the ground. Their efforts over the past number of
months and years -- arguing the case to each voter, house by
house -- was paying dividends. For many, however, the reward
would have to wait.
In Dublin North-West, Dessie Ellis and his team secured an
amazing 18% of the vote from nothing in the three-seater and
hounded Labour's Roisin Shortall all the way for the last seat. A
shock result was on the cards until the last count, when the
transfers of the Fine Gael candidate went mainly to Shortall.
In Meath, Joe Reilly almost doubled his vote and was a few pushes
of an electornic vote button away from a huge upset. Former Fine
Gael leader John Bruton was forced to sweat it out for three
hours before the computer revealed that his constituency had
narrowly managed to avoid the meltdown which ravaged the party
elsewhere.
In Dublin Central, the capital of Bertieland, Nicky Kehoe could
already taste the Leinster House canteen after coming third in
first preferences on the first count. He had doubled the party's
vote and appeared to have embarrassed the Taoiseach by capturing
his running-mate's seat.
So it remained until the fifth count, when the votes of the
defeated Fine Gael candidate (Jim Mitchell) again transferred
squarely to the Labour candidate, Joe Costello. Kehoe was then in
fourth spot. Unbelievably, three quarters of Costello's surplus
then transferred to Ahern's man, who edged into the front on the
final count by a mere 74 votes.
A recount on Sunday failed to change the result or resolve the
mystery of how the Labour candidate became the vehicle of the
right-wing vote. A legal question hung over the selection of the
parcel of ballot-papers which were counted for the process.
After some hours puzzling over the idiosyncracies of 26-County
democracy, Sinn Fein's experts decided to win the fight on
another day. Frustration aside, Nicky Kehoe can tattoo his name
on the seat for the next election.
OUTSIDE BETS
There were also some stunning performances in places like Wexford
and Donegal South-West, areas which were not contested in the
last general election but where Sinn Fein candidates ended up
challenging strongly for seats.
In Wexford, New Ross Urban District Councillor came from nowhere
to capture over 8% of the vote. His transfers ultimately helped
to elect an independent health candidate after he was eliminated
on the sixth count. In Waterford, David Cullinane polled a
surprising 6.3%, making it a very sunny south-east for Sinn Fein.
At the other end of the country, a clever dual candidate strategy
in Donegal South-West brought Sinn Fein over the 10% mark in an
area once thought to have slim pickings for the party.
Sinn Fein candidates Daithi Doolan and Michael O'Brien confounded
the stereotype in leafy Dublin South-East and posh Dun Laoghaire
by polling a healthy 7.4% and 4.0% respectively. Doolan's vote
helped elect Green party candidate John Gormley and he will be
looking to have the favour returned next time out.
In Galway East, Ireland's most boring constituency, there was
fear and consternation at the showing of the the "unknown" Sinn
Fein candidate, Daithi Mac an Bhaird. The Fianna Fail and Fine
Gael hierarchy were rattled when the last seat was handed to an
independent candidate on Mac an Bhaird's transfers.
THE TREBLE
Overall, the party almost trebled its vote to an average of over
8% in the areas it contested and to 7% in total throughout the
State. The following is a breakdown by constituency:
Constituency %vote %increase
Carlow/Kilkenny 3.41 +3.41
Cavan/Monaghan 17.51 -1.85
Cork East 5.73 +2.17
Cork North-Central 6.33 +2.57
Cork South-Central 3.74 +3.74
Cork South-West 5.85 +5.85
Donegal North-East 9.90 +2.36
Donegal South-West 10.74 +10.74
Dublin Central 14.60 +7.95
Dublin Mid-West 6.51 +6.51
Dublin North 3.07 +3.07
Dublin North-Central 5.74 +5.74
Dublin North-East 10.24 +4.31
Dublin North-West 18.27 +18.27
Dublin South 3.93 +3.93
Dublin South-Central 12.70 +7.93
Dublin South-East 7.39 +7.39
Dublin South-West 20.28 +11.38
Dublin West 8.01 +3.01
Dun Laoghaire 4.02 +4.02
Galway East 3.69 +3.69
Galway West 5.61 +3.10
Kerry North 24.24 +8.33
Laois/Offaly 4.11 +4.11
Longford/Roscommon 3.36 +3.36
Louth 14.96 +6.84
Mayo 3.28 +3.28
Meath 9.42 +5.89
Sligo/Leitrim 10.21 +3.11
Tipperary South 3.30 +3.30
Waterford 6.34 +6.34
Westmeath 3.44 +3.44
Wexford 8.21 +8.21
Wicklow 2.79 +2.79
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