Mystery man, Renaissance vibes, a Lotto win - Limerick Leader team paint General Election picture

The Last Supper
Áine Fitzgerald
Managing Editor
At 1:25am on Sunday, the atmosphere on the second floor at Limerick Racecourse was thick with anticipation - and tiredness - as Niall Collins, FF, awaited the declaration that he had retained his seat.
Towards the far end of the room, a scene was unfolding, naturally. ‘The Last Supper’ or, in this instance, ‘The Last Seat’.
You couldn’t plan the composition of this masterpiece if you tried.
You have Niall Collins positioned at the centre, akin to Jesus, surrounded by his supporters, who take on the roles of apostles.
Collins sits slightly elevated, prominent amid the surrounding figures.
Behind him, a person, crouched, forms what seems to be a crown-like halo around his head.
On the far left (as opposed to centre-right), a bottle of water and a brown paper bag - remnants of someone else's last supper - create an ornate pillar effect.
The expressions on the faces of those in the frame tell their own unique story - conveying the weariness and tension that had set in after all the long hours of waiting.
Unlike the original Last Supper, however, two mobile phones are visible, their users quite possibly checking the time as they await the final result.
Finally, at 2:09am, Niall Collins was elected to the final seat in Limerick County and the subjects in The Last Seat lifted him shoulder high. 

Finishing line
Jerome O’Connell
News editor

THE next big event at Limerick Racecourse will be the four-day Christmas Racing Festival from December 26-29. No doubt the annual festive event will have just as much drama as the two-day General Election count at the Patrickswell venue. The countdown to the Christmas Racing Festival is well underway for Michael Lynch, CEO of Limerick Racecourse, and his team, and as part of preparations the post to mark the finishing line in front of the grandstand is in storage.

With rumours of legal challenges in relation to the alphabetical error on the ballot paper, and of a potential recount due to the closeness of the Limerick City constituency candidates down the home stretch, all were hoping on Sunday that the lack of a post to mark the finishing line wasn’t an omen!

An epic quest to have a City seat filled by midnight
Faye Dorgan
Reporter
AS THE CLOCK edged towards midnight on Saturday, waiting for the final election count to get the first candidate over the line in the city felt a bit like reading Game of Thrones - battling tiredness while keeping a close eye on the rivalry between the chief protagonists.
Limerick Racecourse turned into a political Westeros, with candidates vying for the Iron Seat - or at least a plush velvet one in the Dáil.
One punter decided to pass the time by reading Game of Thrones as they waited, seeking solace in fictional feuds.
“Winter is coming,” someone muttered, in a chilly count centre on the edge of Patrickswell.
Counts came in slower than ravens, the suspense thicker than Tyrion’s wit, as crowds battled with tiredness that inevitably kicked in.
Eventually, cheers erupted as the first seat was filled by Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea, marking an election night triumph.

Really cleaning up at the races
Abigail Hayden
Reporter
AS THE hours ticked on in the county's mammoth of a count on Saturday, one group of clever entrepreueneurs made the waiting time worth it.
Daithi and Cillian O'Donoghue, aged nine and 12, and Conor Kelly, 12, the great-nephews of newly re-elected Deputy Richard O'Donoghue, Independent Ireland, collected dozens of bottles and cans with the Re-Cycle logo.
They collected recycling rubbish off count staff, supporters, and even Limerick Leader reporters.
People were seen finishing off the dregs of their drinks as the three boys with the huge bin bag came around, to make sure their recycling waste added to the collection.
After the re-election of their great-uncle, who praised them in his post-election interview, the three businessmen left the building with the rest of the family, along with two bulking bags of recycling.
When asked about how much they had made, they coyly replied “over €20” - a greater profit than many leave the racecourse with!
As these astute men know, the 15c deposit sure does add up!

‘I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about a prediction’
Nick Rabbitts
Reporter

LABOUR Party stalwart Joe Kemmy is something of an oracle when it comes to politics.
Back in the summer, based on tallies alone, he correctly predicted John Moran would become Limerick’s first directly elected mayor, more than three days ahead of it actually happening.
When Joe talks, people listen, especially where politics is concerned.
So, on Saturday night, when he predicted that Labour’s Conor Sheehan was too far behind Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan to realistically catch her in the race for the fourth seat in Limerick City, I naturally put pen to paper.
At the time, Cllr Sheehan was 391 votes behind Cllr O’Donovan.
But he clawed back votes through Sunday, and secured the fourth seat on the last count.
“I’ve never been happier about being wrong in a prediction in my whole life,” Joe beamed.
Proof, if any were needed, that sometimes the greats get it wrong.

Man in Black
Donal O'Regan
Reporter
THERE were a number of senior gardai at the count centre - Superintendent Ollie Kennedy, Inspectors Gearoid Thompson, Fergal Hanrahan and Jimmy Ruddle to name but four - but there was also what appeared to be an FBI agent.
He was straight out of the film Men in Black starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Think black suit, white shirt, earpiece - all he was missing were the shades. He stood behind this reporter at a doorway on the second floor of Limerick Racecourse. I never felt safer.
There was no chance of an irate supporter complaining that I had mixed up their candidate’s vote on the Leader’s blog. But, of course, he wasn’t there to mind this lowly hack - he was there to protect Minister Patrick O’Donovan.
One photographer, unknowingly, asked him if he could take his photo - thinking he was just a random supporter in the crowd. Understandably, the response was a polite “no” from the man in black who gave a wry smile to himself after the photographer moved along.
The only chance of Mr O’Donovan being hurt was a sprained wrist from receiving congratulatory handshakes or hitting his head on the ceiling when he was lifted high in the air but this chap wasn’t taking any chances. He watched everything.
He went home happy as Mr O’Donovan is still in a job. As did a supporter of the Fine Gael man who was moving a lot better than the last time I saw her. The lady in question was on crutches at the mayoral and council count in June after breaking her ankle. She came a cropper while rounding up ducks. However, she was flying it on Saturday, much like Mr O’Donovan.

‘Lotto luck’ for reporter
Nick Rabbitts
Reporter
I HAVE been playing the lottery since I came to Ireland in 2008, and have very rarely ever won anything.
Despite this, I carry on spending €6 twice a week on a ticket, ignoring criticism that it is a tax on hope, and there is more chance of my beloved Tottenham Hotspur Football Club winning a title than me landing the jackpot. (Soccer fans, if you know, you know!)
But, on Saturday night, peering at a colleague’s laptop which was tuned into RTE One, I caught the lottery results.
And my numbers came up! Well four of them did - three regular numbers and the bonus ball - landing me a very welcome €29. It gave me a nice lift in the middle of a very busy election count, and felt like proof - if ever any is needed - that consistency can pay off!
For the record, my numbers are 4, 7, 14, 24, 39 and 45!