The Taoiseach and Fine Gael party leader Enda Kenny was first elected a TD in 1975 and over 40 years later he is leading his party in its pursuit of a second term in Government. Mr Kenny took over the party after its worst ever electoral performance in the aftermath of the 2002 General Election, ousting then leader Michael Noonan. Mr Kenny is currently the longest serving TD in the Dail having won his seat in a by election in November 1975 after the death of his father Henry Kenny, who was also a Fine Gael TD. The Mayo native previously served as Minister for Tourism and Trade during the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ from 1994-97. Mr Kenny has faced criticism from the opposition parties over several controversies this term including the handling of Irish Water and the furore around the retirement of the former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.
| Electorate | Seats | Total Poll | Turnout | Valid Poll | Spoiled Votes | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92,958 | 4 | 64,246 | 69.11% | 63,646 | 600 | 12,730 |
Vote Distribution
Left Right
Count Results
| Candidate | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
13318 | |||||||||
|
|
11275 | 11533 | 11534 | 11545 | 11558 | 11567 | 11613 | 12034 | 13149 | |
|
|
9402 | 9417 | 9419 | 9432 | 9441 | 9450 | 9495 | 9933 | 10425 | 12150 |
|
|
8231 | 8265 | 8266 | 8280 | 8296 | 8307 | 8354 | 8718 | 9503 | 11686 |
|
|
7841 | 8084 | 8088 | 8094 | 8123 | 8131 | 8182 | 8496 | 8900 | 9593 |
|
|
6414 | 6423 | 6423 | 6445 | 6453 | 6485 | 6548 | 7022 | 7853 | |
|
|
3479 | 3495 | 3504 | 3513 | 3523 | 3553 | 3668 | 4375 | ||
|
|
1574 | 1579 | 1582 | 1590 | 1600 | 1608 | 1659 | |||
|
|
629 | 631 | 632 | 636 | 651 | 665 | 680 | |||
|
|
576 | 577 | 582 | 587 | 597 | 626 | 664 | |||
|
|
262 | 263 | 263 | 276 | 284 | 301 | ||||
|
|
176 | 176 | 181 | 189 | 192 | 197 | ||||
|
|
157 | 158 | 159 | 166 | 174 | |||||
|
|
144 | 146 | 149 | 150 | ||||||
|
|
126 | 127 | 130 | |||||||
|
|
42 | 42 |
On the Ballot
Michael Ring finished second in the polls during the last general election, coming second to party leader and now Taoiseach Enda Kenny. He is Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with Special Responsibility for Tourism and Sport. The Westport man represents the Mayo constituency, where he has been a TD since being first elected to the Dáil in a bye-election in 1994. He was a member of Mayo County Council from 1999 to 2004 and held a number of senior Front Bench positions within Fine Gael.
Michelle Mulherin was elected during the last general election in 2011 having unsuccessfully contested the 2007 general election having previously practiced as a solicitor in her native Ballina. Ms Mulherin was first elected in 1999 to Ballina Town Council and to Mayo County Council in 2004. She was the first female Councillor for Fine Gael elected to Ballina Town Council, to Mayo County Council and to Dáil Eireann in Mayo.
The Ballina native and Fianna Fail TD has been serving as a TD since being elected in the 2007 General Election. He has served as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Labour Affairs. On top of this Mr Calleary was appointed Minister of State at the Department of An Taoiseach and the Department of Finance with responsibility for Public Service Transformation. He is currently the Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation.
Lisa Chambers is a Fianna Fáil councillor for the Castlebar area and current Leas Cathaoirleach (deputy chair) of Mayo County Council. First elected in 2014, she is the youngest serving member of the council. She unsuccessfully contested the 2011 general election, receiving 4.5 pc of first preference votes. A barrister by profession, she runs her own practice based out of Castlebar. In the past she has spoken out over the closure of rural Garda stations and accused the Government of failing to improve standards in the health system.
Rose Conway-Walsh is a local Councillor in Mayo. First elected in 2009 for Sinn Féin, she topped the poll in West Mayo in the 2014 local elections with close to 14 pc of the first preference votes. She unsuccessfully contested the 2011 general election. Active in the community, she holds an MA in local government and has served as a member on Sinn Féin’s Ard Chomhairle (National Executive Committee) In the past Ms Conway-Walsh has led campaigns to address issues such as the closure of rural schools, the lack of hospital beds in Mayo and Galway, and water charges.
An aviation engineer with more than 30 years experience working the control tower at Shannon Airport, Tom Moran (74) is the People Before Profit Alliance candidate for Mayo. A native of Westport, this is the anti- austerity campaigner’s first time running for a seat in the Dáil. If elected, he hopes to ‘finish off’ Ireland’s the two tier health system and reverse the austerity measure introduced by the current Government.
Renua Ireland candidate Michael Farrington is hoping to be elected TD for Mayo in his first attempt at securing a seat in Dáil Eireann. The business man describes himself as pro-enterprise and says that if elected, he hopes to build up infrastructure “such as Knock Airport and the hotel and restaurant sector” to encourage tourism and local SME growth. He believes that the Government has failed to prioritise broadband, transport, policing and job creation in the West.
Green Party candidate Margaret Sheehan is from South Mayo and, if elected, will push for referendums on repealing the 8th Amendment and ensuring water remains in public ownership. This is her first time running for general election, having unsuccessfully run in the 2014 local elections. A community development worker in Mayo, she is involved with a number of local organisations including the Men's Shed and the Headford Environment Group. Ms Sheehan’s main interests in developing local services such as health and education, and in ensuring equality and rights for all, particularly women, Travellers, disabled people, and asylum seekers.
Prominent Land League member Gerry O’Boyle is running as an Independent candidate for Mayo. He previously ran in the 2014 Roscommon-South Leitrim by-election but only gained 82 first preference votes, less than 0.2 pc of the total cast. In 2014, he appeared before Mayo District Court in 2014 for the non-payment of a credit union debt. He is campaigning on the platform that no family should be forced from their homes over mortgage repayments or bank debts.
An Independent TD for Mayo from 2002 to 2007, Jerry Cowley (63) is running under the 'No Doctor, No Village' banner. A GP by profession, he is also a barrister and a former Mayo Person of the Year. He unsuccessfully contested 2011 general election as a Labour candidate.
A Charelstown-based electrician and farmer, Sean Forkan came in last when he ran as an Independent Mayo candidate in the 2011 Dáil election.
A voluntary worker with a number of community organisations in his area, Peter Jordan (54) is running as a First Independent Mayo candidate. This is his first-time running in a general election. He is the son of Paddy Jordan, a two time All-Ireland winner with Mayo.
One of two candidates proposed by First Independent Mayo,George O'Malley (60) is running to support community groups in the area. Based in Newport, the first time general election candidate is experienced in the areas of forestry, natural resources and rural/business development.
Bangladesh native Mohammad Kamal Uddin (49) is running in the general election after unsuccessfully contesting the 2014 local elections. A chef by profession and based in Castlebar, Mr Uddin he has worked in numerous restaurants around Westport and is a community activist.
Father-of-three Stephen Manning is standing as an Independent candidate in Mayo. He supports 'Direct Democracy', wherein TDs can be recalled by their constituents, and wants to see the Government invest heavily in transport and broadband for rural Ireland.