Higgins secure as Ganley misses out

Declan Ganley, leader of Libertas meets with his team after the first count was announced at the count centre in Castlebar. 


Higgins secure as Ganley opts out


Michael Commins

MAYO MEP Jim Higgins had his ticket booked back to Brussels last night following his election in the North West constituency. The Ballyhaunis man will be joined by outgoing Independent MEP, Marian Harkin from Sligo and Pat The Cope Gallagher of Fianna Fail. Declan Ganley of the newly-formed Libertas party failed in his bid to secure a seat. He finished in fourth place and has announced he is unlikely to continue in politics.
Marian Harkin topped the poll with 84,813, an exceptional performance by the MEP who, compared to back in 2004, faced stiff competition in her own region with three extra candidates based in the area from Sligo across to Monaghan, Susan O’Keeffe (Labour), Paschal Mooney (FF) and Joe O’Reilly (FG).
Pat The Cope from Donegal came in on 82,643, boosted by a big showing in the northern end of the constituency where he saw off the challenge of Sinn Fein’s Padraic MacLochlainn. Paschal Mooney took 42,985 for Fianna Fail, thus ensuring that Fianna Fail had a quota.
Jim Higgins upped his vote considerably on five years ago to take 80,093 first preferences votes. And with his running mate Joe O’Reilly from Cavan on 37,564, the Fine Gael seat was never in danger. The Ballyhaunis man had regular teams on the ground over several weeks, conducting a widespread canvass of the region.
The main challenge was always going to come from Declan Ganley who came from almost nowhere to national prominence during the Lisbon Treaty campaign last year. He polled a very creditable 67,638 first preference votes on his first outing.
Susan O’Keeffe of the Labour Party also managed a good vote on her debut, securing 28,708 in a region where Labour would traditionally have been weak on the ground. She would have benefitted from the addition of Westmeath, the one county of the eleven where Labour has a decent and traditional stronghold.
Clare man Michael McNamara pulled a good vote out of his home county and came in on 12, 744. The votes for the other four Independent candidates were: Fiachra O’Luain 6,510; John F Higgins (formerly from Kiltimagh) 3,030; Noel McCullagh 1,940; Tom King 1,124.
Returning officer Kieran McDermott agreed on Sunday night to a request for a re-check of the bundles of ballot papers, a move instigated by Declan Ganley’s team. He was standing at over 70,000 votes at the end of the count on Sunday evening. The subsequent check on Monday found that in the region of 3,000 votes belonging to Fiachra O Luain had mistakenly been included in Declan Ganley’s tally …. and the necessary correction was then made. Regardless of whom it favoured or didn’t, this was a huge mistake that may otherwise have gone undetected.
Jim Higgins took in the region of 37% of the Mayo vote, followed by Declan Ganley on 16%, Marian Harkin on 13%, Pat The Cope Gallagher on just under 13%, Paschal Mooney on 6%, Padraic MacLochlainn of Sinn Fein on 4%, and Susan O’Keeffe of Labour on 3%.