TWO vastly experienced Kerry Fianna Fail politicians have retained their seats in Seanad Éireann in emphatic fashion with Kenmare’s Mark Daly registering a power-packed performance to top the poll on the Administrative Panel and Ned O’Sullivan, from Listowel, comfortably retaining his seat on the Labour Panel.
Daly was the story of the week with a stunning 167 votes seeing him easily exceeding the quota of 141 on the first count.
The popular auctioneer turned in a hugely energetic campaign – which has become his trademark – and he travelled the length and breadth of the country seeking support from rank-and-file county councillors.
Former Kerry County Council member O’Sullivan, meanwhile, comfortable retained the seat he has held in the Upper House since 2007.
The anticipated Fianna Fail success stories apart, however, one of the big stories of the Seanad election from a Kerry perspective was the powerful performance of former TD Tom Sheahan, from Rathmore, who came agonisingly close to clinching a seat before losing out to Independent Sharon Keogan in a dramatic 30th count on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.
Sheahan previously served in the Seanad from 2011 to 2016 having been elected to the 30th Dáil in 2007 and he remained a TD until the general election of 2011 when the three South Kerry seats went to Independents Tom Fleming and Michael Healy-Rae and Sheahan’s running mate, Brendan Griffin, who topped the poll.
Former Kerry North TD Thomas McEllistrim didn’t make any great impact on the Agricultural Panel while Fine Gael Kerry County Council member Patrick O’Connor Scarteen, from Kenmare, also missed out on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.
In another link with Kerry, former MEP Lynn Boylan, from Dublin, won a seat for Sinn Fein on the Agricultural Panel. She spent 10 years living in Kerry where she worked with the Irish Wildlife Trust in Killarney National Park and she unsuccessfully contested the 2007 general election and 2009 local elections for Sinn Fein, appearing on the ballot paper as Lynn Ní Bhaoighealláin.
She was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2019 but lost her seat in the last Euro elections.
Kerry had three senators in the outgoing Upper House but that has now been reduced to two following the retirement of Fine Gael’s Paul Coghlan from Killarney.
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