Fine Gael candidates switch seats as McEvoy delivers big for Fianna Fáil in Laios

On paper the Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District looked as if there was some potential for a changing of the guard.

Despite a relatively small field of just 12 candidates, there was some signs of change on the 2019 result.

Fine Gael entered the election with a sitting councillor who had never faced the electorate.

Cllr PJ Kelly was co-opted onto the council after Tom Mulhall had to step aside for health reasons. The shoes left by Mulhall would prove big to fill for anybody who would follow him.

So there were high expectations on Cllr Kelly from voters from the word go because of the high bar set by Mr Mulhall who passed away in 2024.

Cllr Kelly might not have been best pleased when, in February, Simon Harris arrived in Stradbally to launch the campaign of Fine Gael's second candidate Vivienne Phelan. He was not Taoiseach at the time but the backing of a cabinet Minister for Ms Phelan at least irked Cllr Kelly and his team.

Another conundrum for the party was Cllr Aisling Moran. The combative councillor left Fine Gael in May 2023 after a long series of disputes over local and national issues. Quite a number of these were fought out in public at council meetings with party colleagues and Fianna Fáil who shared council power with Fine Gael.

Her departure garnered national media attention in a time when Fine Gael was crashing in the polls. She left saying it was not the same party she joined and was not looking after the people Fine Gael was supposed to be looking after.

Perhaps, Fine Gael felt going into the election that Cllr Moran would be left isolated. But she bucked any notion of that with a bang. The Ballylinan woman won huge support on her home patch and it was clear at the tally count that her return to the County Hall was in no doubt. A return to Fine Gael might also be on the cards as she sat for most of the tally with the Fine Gael team keeping a close eye on where the votes were going. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Cllr Aisling Moran, Indpendent, celebrates with supporters at the count in Portlaoise. Pic: Alf Harvey

The struggle between the two Fine Gael candidates would go down to the wire however. Cllr Kelly was always ahead in the race but transfers helped Ms Phelan keep up as the counts proceeded.

Ironically, transfer votes from Cllr Moran's surplus put Ms Phelan 17 votes ahead of Cllr Kelly in the last count. This led to a recount but no errors were found culminating the Fine Gael  seat changing hands.

Ms Phelan's Stradbally team were delighted to reclaim what the called the 'Kevin O'Higgins' seat in the town. 

Arguably there were two seats for Fine Gael in this area alongside Cllr Moran but the candidacies of Patsy Fennell and Paschal McEvoy was probably what squeezed them out.

At the same time it is hard to see who a second FG candidate would have knocked out of county hall.

Let's turn first to poll-topper Cllr Paschal McEvoy. From Timahoe and based in Stradbally, he was always a hot favourite to retain his seat in county hall. While he wasn't elected on the first count or the first to be declared elected, he topped the first preference vote poll - quite an achievement that reflects well on work during the past five years. MORE BELOW PIC.

Cllr Paschal McEvoy celebrates his return to Laois County Council with supporters. Pic: Alf Harvey

Another big story to emerge from this election is Cllr Ben Brennan, who is returning to County Hall with a bigger mandate to serve the people than perhaps at any time during his time in local politics since first being elected in 2009.

The foundation of his big first preference vote is rooted firmly in the tightly knit community around Crettyard. But he also operates effectively in Killeshin and Graiguecullen. An independent since 2009 after parting ways with Fianna Fáil, Cllr Brennan is bound to have benefited on this occasion from the wave of floating voters or the weak Sinn Féin backers who weren't convinced by the party this time around. It will be interesting to see if he is approached by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to join a coalition in County Hall over the next five years. Such a move might see him becoming Cathaoirleach. More below picture.

Cllr Ben Brennan celebrates with supporters. Pic: Alf Harvey

Fianna Fáil candidate Padraig Fleming will have been satisfied but not overjoyed by his performance in this election. His return to County Hall was achieved with comfort but would he have liked to top the poll? Probably and especially since his brother Seán is a serving Minister and the Fleming electoral machine is known far and wide for gathering votes. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Cllr Padraig Fleming celebrates with family and supporters. Pic: Alf Harvey

Cllr Aidan Mullins was the first candidate from the district to be elected. He dominated the Portarlington area again. He would likely have topped the poll had it not been for the fact that Joey Kennedy ran for Fianna Fáil in the town. None of this will please him. He will know that his win is a pyrrhic victory. As in all three Laois electoral districts, Sinn Féin targeted winning a second seat in Port Graigue. It was very clear from the long Sinn Féin faces at the tally carried out at the CBS / Chríost Rí count centre in Portlaoise that this was off the table.

Cllr Mullins is a pragmatic and direct politician who will likely not hold back with party colleagues in letting them know why and where they went wrong this time. In fact he was one of the few who was highlighting the issue of immigration long before it became an election topic on which Sinn Féin lost votes in Laois and other counties. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Cllr Aidan Mullins of Sinn Féin celebrates victory. Pic Alf Harvey

Moving on to the also-rans, Aaron Kelly did poll quite well for Sinn Féin and is a hope for the future if he can take this loss in his stride with the help of his party.

Patsy Fennell was one of the few candidates in Laois to highlight immigration as an issue but his strong links with Stradbally and Timahoe also delivered votes for the man on the Independent Ireland ticket.

Joey Kennedy's late arrival onto the ticket for Fianna Fáil was never going to help. Running in Portarlington which is dominated by Cllr Aidan Mullins was also an obstacle. But he perhaps represents the green shoots of a Fianna Fáil revival in big Laois Offaly.

Eoin Barry of Labour might be thinking long and hard before contesting another election.

Taking up the rear was young Charlie Hackett of the Green Party. It was a harsh lesson in politics for the young man from Geashill.