Carey takes third Belmullet seat for Fianna Fáil

Belmullet-based councillor Seán Carey said his re-election to Mayo County Council was down to the work he has done in the area over the last five years.

The Fianna Fáil councillor was elected on the fifth and final count of the Belmullet Electoral Area where he held off Sinn Féin candidate Rosaleen Lally for the third and final seat.

Many people had tipped Lally to take the seat for Sinn Féin but Carey had a margin of 376 votes over Lally after the first count which kept him ahead of the challenger. Lally could only close the gap to 103 votes at the end of the fifth count in which she was eliminated and Carey was elected without reaching the quota.

“I am delighted to be elected for the second time,” Carey said following the declaration of his election.

“I fought a good campaign and I'd like to thank everyone who came out and supported me. The people on the ground gave me great support, especially my campaign team.

“It was encouraging the support I received from the people on the doors who said I had done this and that for them and it gave me the drive to go on. I enjoyed the last five years but there is an awful lot of work to it which people don't realise. I enjoy it and it's nice to be able to help people along the way and you get a good buzz from it,” he said.

Carey joins incumbent councillors Paul McNamara (FF) from Achill and Geesala-based councillor Gerry Coyle (FG) in being elected as the three councillors for the Belmullet Electoral Area.

The two sitting councillors were elected on the fourth count after they both exceeded the quota following the distribution of Pat Chamber's (FG) votes.

Paul McNamara topped the poll after the first count with 1,745 which left him just 92 votes short of the quota. He had to wait for the elimination of Chambers in the third count and the distribution of his 1,084 votes.

He received 463 of Chambers votes which gave him a total of 2,228 which took him 391 votes over the quota of 1,837.

Geesala-based councillor Gerry Coyle received 1,519 first preference votes on the first count and the 253 votes he received from Chambers gave him a total of 1,867.

McNamara's surplus of 391 votes were then distributed with Carey receiving 128 to give him a total of 1,771 while Lally received 109 to give her a final total of 1,498.