Sweet taste of victory for Limerick TDs as post-election drama intensifies

POST-election drama is intensifying this week with Willie O’Dea of Fianna Fail slamming accusations of failing to support his running mate while party colleague Niall Collins has declared his expectation to be considered for a Cabinet role, and a “gutted” councillor Elisa O’Donovan of the Social Democrats is yet to rule out a potential action over a ballot sheet blunder.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Patrick O’Donovan, who got the highest vote in Limerick - and one of the top returns in the country - is said to be eyeing up a more high-profile Cabinet job than the one he has already as Minister for Higher Education.

And Independent Ireland TD Richard O’Donoghue says his party is “100%” up for talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to form a Government.

And if all that wasn’t drama enough for one election, it has emerged that the only new Limerick TD, Conor Sheehan of Labour, was so “dazed” by his result that he took the wrong turn coming out of the count centre on Sunday night, ending up in Crecora and then at Limerick Golf Club before turning to his SatNav to find his way to McDonald's in Dooradoyle for his celebratory meal!

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Following the count, in which he was first to be elected in Limerick City, Fianna Fail's Willie O’Dea was criticised in some quarters over his vote management, with a senior party source expressing “disappointment and anger” at O'Dea allegedly telling his supporters to hand their second preference not to his running mate Dee Ryan, but to another candidate instead.

Mr O’Dea has vigorously denied this, saying: “It’d be ludicrous to be asking for number twos for somebody else. People are making it up. They obviously don’t like me very much. But we have to live with these sorts of people. I just wish they’d show their faces, and we’d deal with them if we do.”

Once Mr O’Dea was elected, Ms Ryan received just nine of his 88 surplus votes.

As thoughts now turn to the new government, Niall Collins, FF, has said he is hoping to upgrade his junior ministry to a Cabinet role.

“I have served four-and-a-half years as Minister of State. I absolutely expect to be considered by Micheal Martin for appointment to Cabinet if Fianna Fail are part of the next Government,” he told the Limerick Leader.

Given Mr O’Donovan’s polltopping performance in Limerick County - and the fact half the Fine Gael TDs elected in 2020 did not run again - he is understood to be hopeful of promotion.

Above, left to right, the four elected TDs for Limerick City: Conor Sheehan, Kieran O'Donnell, Willie O'Dea and Maurice Quinlivan

“I’ve been very humbled over the last number of years to serve as a Minister of State and latterly to be in the Cabinet. To be honest about it, I never thought I’d get in there and I always pinch myself when I do sit at a Cabinet meeting,” said Limerick County’s polltopper.

Back in the City constituency, there was late heartbreak for Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan when she was pipped to the last seat by Labour’s Conor Sheehan.

Cllr O’Donovan, who ended up almost 600 votes behind her rival, would only say she was “gutted” this Tuesday.

But earlier in the week, she said an error on the ballot paper which saw her name further down the list than it should have been “quite possibly could have cost me a seat”.

Surnames on ballot papers in Limerick City were not all in alphabetical order, which is required under electoral law.

Cllr O’Donovan said to media on Monday she is looking at her options and suggested her party may release a statement on her behalf later this week.

The City West councillor struck a different tone during the election count.

“There was an error, I was lower on the ballot paper than I should have been. I do trust the people of Limerick, there is only one ballot paper, they knew who they were going in to vote for. My picture was there, my party was there, so I don’t think it will have any material difference,” she said.

The Leader has contacted City returning officer Rita Considine and the Electoral Commission for comment, but had not received a response at the time of going to press.

Mr Sheehan, who she ultimately lost the final City seat too, has revealed the first thing he did when he left the count centre after his sensational election was drive out the wrong way and get lost!

“I was so dazed by the result and the significance of it, that I took the wrong turn coming out of the count centre. I ended up in Crecora,” the Corbally man said.

He admitted he was too nervous to eat much during the nail-biting race for the final seat in Limerick City. “I literally spent the whole day with my stomach in knots. So by the time I got elected, I could eat anything!”

When he finally did get back on the road to the city, he said: “The first thing I got as a newly-elected TD was a McDonald’s.”

He’s said he would like to see Labour in Government “but not at any cost, just to prop up the centre-right”.

Mr Sheehan wants his party to come together with the Social Democrats and the one remaining Green TD Roderic O’Gorman to form a centre-left bloc to go into formation talks. “What I want to see is good solid social democratic policies implemented,” he said.

Independent Ireland TD Richard O’Donoghue, comfortably returned in Limerick County said of Government talks: “Are we up for negotiations? 100%. Are we for sale? No, we are not. Our price is our policies.”

The new Dail meets on Wednesday, December 18.