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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Cllr Neil Cruise celebrates with family after beating Sinn Féin's John Sheahan by one vote to win a Mayo County Council seat in the Swinford Local Electoral Area (Pic: The Mayo News)
Cllrs Neil Cruise, Adrian Forkan and John Caulfield have been elected to Mayo County Council at the expense of Sinn Féin candidate John Sheahan, who missed out by a single vote following two recounts of the Swinford Local Electoral Area.
ONE of the longest-running election races in the history of Mayo County Council has ended with Sinn Féin candidate John Sheahan losing out by a single vote.
Cllr John Cauifield, Cllr Adrian Forkan (both Fianna Fáil) and Cllr Neil Cruise (Fine Gael) were elected following a second recount of the vote for Swinford Local Electoral Area, with Cllr Cruise coming just one vote ahead of Cllr Cruise.
The second recount put Cllr Forkan at 1,668 votes, Cllr Caulfield at 1,642 votes, Cllr Neil Cruise at 1,637 votes and Sinn Féin candidate John Sheahan at 1,636 votes.
The first recount had been agreed by mutual consent after only five votes separated Cllr Cruise, Cllr Caulfield and Mr Sheahan, but produced no difference in the total vote for any candidates.
Sinn Féin requested a second recount, which was acceded to by John Condon, Returning Officer for Mayo.
Representatives from Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil convened on the floor of the count centre before Mr Sheahan accepted defeat.
The four candidates all embraced before Cllrs Caulfield, Cruise and Forkan were elected to the three remaining seats in the Swinford Local Electoral Area without reaching the quota.
Sinn Féin councillor Gerry Murray was elected on the third count initially, making him once again Sinn Féin's sole representative on Mayo County Council.
Speaking to The Mayo News afterwards, all three re-elected councillors extended commiserations to Mr Sheahan.
Cllr Cruise said that 'democracy is alive and well' in Mayo following the marathon count, which started on Sunday morning.
“We’re fortunate to live in a society that has such a strong democratic ethos. We could be living in places where the alternative is not really that palatable,” the Foxford-based councillor told The Mayo News.
Mr Sheahan said he was 'extremely proud' of his performance and wished Cllrs Forkan, Cruise and Caulfield well.
Full reaction from Cllrs Forkan, Cruise, Caulfield and Mr Sheahan will be carried in Tuesday's print edition of The Mayo News.
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