Mulligan storms onto Laois County Council as Aird makes big Portlaoise election stand

Portlaoise was always going to the battleground of this Laois local election with candidates vying for seats for a myriad of  reasons.

Tommy Mulligan was the big winner in an election that could also inflict a fatal blow to the chances of a Fine Gael candidate getting on the party's General Election ticket.

Willie Aird has contested many elections for Fine Gael and almost always polled well. The 2024 edition had an added incentive if he wants to fulfil a long-held ambition to run in a General Election for his party.  The obstacle was removed when  Charlie Flanagan announced he would step down.

From a crowded field of 20 Aird delivered a poll-topping performance. He exceeded the quota by just under 100 votes to be elected on the first count. The big decision on what to do next is now his to make but he'll know that this could be the last chance to have a tilt at Leinster House under the Fine Gael banner. MORE BELOW ELECTIONS.

Willie Aird celebrates after retaining his seat on Laois County Council. Picture: Alf Harvey

Cllr Thomasina Connell was the other Fine Gael candidate in Portlaoise field who had already declared her intention to seek the party's nomination. So this election was high stakes.  She knew that at the very least she would have to retain a seat won by a slender margin in 2019.

What has transpired leaves Cllr Connell in no man's land electorally. The 2016 General Election candidate will now find it very hard to convince FG candidate selectors that she has a viable chance of being elected to the Dáil.

Her place in the council chamber looks set to be taken by a candidate who is,  arguably, the story of the 2024 election in Portlaoise if not Laois.

There was little fanfare when Tommy Mulligan put his name in the ring for election. There were no big announcements on social media or other major publicity efforts.

The national school teacher and Portlaoise GAA man had a long ambition to get into politics and decided it was now or never.

His hunch that 2024 was the year to pick proved spot on. His hunger for campaigning and presenting himself on the doorstep matched his ambition.

The count day showed him turning canvas popularity in the votes. He secured more than 1,000 first-preference votes. What was even more impressive was that he was very transfer-friendly. Hundreds of voters gave him a preference vote which ensured he did not stagnate. In truth, he didn't need that many transfers as his haul of number-one votes would have done the business.

John Joe Fennelly of Fianna Fáil has always been a big vote-getter in Laois but this election saw a dent put in his usually high number of first preference votes. This was a direct result of the number of independent or smaller party candidates in and around Abbeyleix. This being said, his seat was never under threat. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Returned Fianna Fáil councillors, John Joe Fenelly and Catherine Fitzgerald celebrate their return to County Hall for five more years. Pic: Alf Harvey

Something similar was the case for Fianna Fáil's Portlaoise based candidate Catherine Fitzgerald. Her showing is slightly different in that she has marginally improved on 2019 despite facing a lot of extra candidates in the Portlaoise area especially Tommy Mulligan. The Fitzgerald camp will be happy with the outcome.

Another pleased politician on his first time to face the electorate is Barry Walsh of Fine Gael. The Ballyroan-based candidate was assuming the mantle carried for many years by Mary Sweeney so the pressure was on to prove he was could live up to the high bar she set.

Cllr Walsh defied doubters building on a Ballyroan base and picking up other number ones and transfers from elsewhere. His team will be delighted. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Ballyroan-based Fine Gael man Barry Walsh wins on his first attempt. Pic: Alf Harvey

The tightest contest would turn out to be between Marie Tuohy of the Labour Party and Naeem Iqbal of Fianna Fáil.

Cllr Tuohy was bidding to retain a seat won twice by her husband Noel while Mr Iqbal hoped to go one better than 2019 when he ran as an independent. Early tallies appeared to put the Fianna Fail man odds on for a seat but the flow of number one votes dried  up as boxes were emptied from around the constituency. 

When the first count was declared he was just behind Cllr Tuohy.

In 2019 Mr Iqbal stagnated during the counts as he did not receive the transfers to keep him in the race. The same ghost would return to haunt him in 2024. While Cllr Tuohy was picking up transfers from a variety of candidates on their elimination and election, Mr Iqbal took very few.

This trend would have a big bearing on the result. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Maire Tuohy celebrates with husband Noel and supporters on her election for the Labour Party in Portlaoise. Pic: Alf Harvey

So what of the others?

It was a grim electoral race for Sinn Féin in Portlaoise where the party had firm sights on  a second seat. The good showing by Caroline Dwane Stanley cannot gloss over what transpired. Jason Phelan was never in the hunt and Maria McCormack was well down the field despite running a big campaign. The post-mortem will have to be forensic.

Many of the independent candidates who contested in Portlaoise put their hearts and souls in the race but politics has a habit of being a cruel business where lessons are often harshly learned. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Caroline Dwane Stanley celebrates after winning a seat for Sinn Féin on Laois County Council. Pic: Alf Harvey

Pauline Flanagan, Dom Dunne and Donal Kelly all ran as independent candidates this time around. In 2019 two ran for Fianna Fáil and a third ran for Renua. All ran with a point to prove but the result was no different than five years ago. All three will likely think carefully before entering politics again.

 Other new candidates performed admirably enough given their low profile and late start. Among them was Noel Burke who did well in the Abbeyleix area. 

In Portlaoise Bolaji Mojeed Adeyanju performed admirably.  Collette Byrne of Independent Ireland did also better than expected.

Rosie Palmer did ok for the Green Party but her vote was confined largely to her Ballinakill base.

It will be an election to forget for Martha Ryan of Aontú who never got going while John Cowhigh was never at the races.