Green wave helps sink the left

A LOW turnout in several working class Northside areas has been blamed for a poor showing in the local elections from left wing candidates.

Sinn Fein was hit particularly hard, with a strategy of running four candidates in Ballymun-Finglas backfiring and leaving the party with just one seat in the ward.

But it was an election of celebration for the Greens with a number of new faces gaining seats for the party on both Dublin City and Fingal councils.

Ciarán Cuffe topped the poll in the North Inner City but won’t be taking his seat having also been successful in the European Elections.

That means another Green representative will take a place alongside other Northside west party winners Caroline Conroy in Ballymun-Finglas and Neasa Hourigan in Cabra- Glasnevin.

Fianna Fáil candidates topped the poll in the latter two wards with Paul McAuliffe’s transfers helping to bring in party colleague Keith Connolly while in Cabra-Glasnevin Mary Fitzpatrick was in on the first count.

In Ballymun-Finglas observers were keen to see how Noeleen Reilly would fare after resigning from Sinn Fein. The Shinners tossed in four candidates and would have been confident of taking at least two seats but ended up with just one with Anthony Connaghan just about hanging onto his seat.

In contrast, Reilly comfortably held her seat despite a reduced number of first preferences and was elected on the fifth count.

In 2014 Sinn Fein won five seats between the old Ballymun and Cabra Finglas wards but this year’s poll has left them with just Cllr Connaghan in Ballymun-Finglas and Cllr Séamas McGrattan in Cabra-Glasnevin.

The latter ward was owned by Mary Fitzpatrick (FF) but there was good performances from Neasa Hourigan (GP) and Social Democrat, Gary Gannon (SD).

The Social Democrats were also celebrating in Ballymun-Finglas with Mary Callaghan winning the party’s first council seat in the area.

In the North Inner City, Christy Burke (IND) comfortably held his seat and Labour veteran, Joe Costello, was delighted to be back on the council after a long absence.

Sinn Fein’s Janice Boylan’s disappointing European election results means she’ll be sitting on the council representing the inner city alongside new face, Anthony Flynn of Inner City Helping Homeless.

Cllr Flynn ran a successful campaign on the back of a rising profile for his charitable work helping the homeless on the ground around the city.

The other North Inner City seats were taken by outgoing Lord Mayor Nial Ring (IND) and Ray McAdam (FG).

The homeless issue was expected to see a surge in seats for left wing parties but Solidarity-PBP failed to deliver a single seat in the three Northside west wards.

It was little better in Fingal with only John Burtchaell elected in Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart.

That ward saw Mary McCamley elected on the first count followed by Breda Hanaphy (SF) and Fine Gael’s Punam Rane, who became Fingal’s first Indian-born councillor. The fifth seat in the ward went to Fianna Fáil’s Freddie Cooper.

In Castleknock the Green’s Roderic O’Gorman was in on the first count along with Fine Gael’s Emer Currie who was joined by party colleague, Ted Leddy.

The remaining three seats in the ward went to John Walsh (Lab), Natalie Treacy (SF) and Howard Mahony (FF).

Sinn Féín’s Paul Donnelly topped the poll in Ongar and he was joined by Tania Doyle (IND), Tom Kitt (FF), Kieran Dennison (FG) and Daniel Whooley (GP).