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Revealed: the ten biggest winners and losers of Election 2011

We’ve totted up the figures, quantified the quotas, and worked out the ten most – and least – popular politicians in Ireland.

28/02/11 3,415 Views 1 Comment

583 CANDIDATES contested this year’s general election, but with only 165 seats up for grabs there were always going to be winners and losers.

Some of the country’s poll-toppers did do extraordinary well, however – coasting home on their first counts with plenty of room to spare – while others, who themselves would have realised election was a very long shot, didn’t do as well as they would have hoped.

Here, ranking them by the number of first preferences they won, are the top ten vote-winners of Election 2011.

Revealed: the ten biggest winners and losers of Election 2011
1 / 11

  • 1 - Enda Kenny

    The Fine Gael leader was one of FOUR Fine Gael TDs to make it home in Mayo - and was the national polltopper in individual terms. Though one other candidate beat him in terms of quotas, Kenny's 17472 first preferences (1.413 quotas) were more than anyone else in the country could boast.

  • 2 - Shane Ross

    Narrowly behind Kenny in terms of both votes and quotas was independent Shane Ross, the former TCD senator who romped home on the first count in Dublin South. He won 17075 first preferences, and his 1.410 quotas puts him third on that list.

  • 3 - Gerry Adams

    The Steward of the Manor of Northstead - whether he likes it or not - topped the poll in Louth, with 15072 people putting their first preference beside his name, giving him 1.3 quotas (7th) as Adams led Sinn Féin to historic breakthroughs.

  • 4 - Pearse Doherty

    Adams' Sinn Féin colleague, finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty, continued his electoral success in Donegal South West with a whopping 14262 first preferences - giving him 1.32 quotas (6th), slightly pipping Adams on that tweaked ranking.

  • 5 - Michael Lowry

    Longtime TD and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry continued his dominance in Tipperary North, winning 14014 first preferences - amount to 1.17 quotas (10th) in the tight three-seater.

  • 6 - Fergus O'Dowd

    Fine Gael's most popular candidate in Louth, O'Dowd was second to Adams on his home turf - but can console himself with 13980 votes, easily bringing him home on the first count with 1.21 quotas (8th).

  • 7 - Mick Wallace

    The first-time independent TD and soccer impresario Mick Wallace coasted home in Wexford, winning 13329 first preferences to top the five-seater with 1.06 quotas.

  • 8 - Michael Noonan

    The former Fine Gael leader has had electoral nightmares before - he led the party to crushing defeat in 2002, losing 24 TDs - but the revitalised Limerick East stalwart accrued 13291 votes in the new Limerick City constituency, putting him top of the quotas list with 1.54 times the number he needed to make it on the first count.

  • 9 - Michael Ring

    One of Enda Kenny's three running mates in Mayo, Ring picked up a handsome vote of his own - his 13180 votes elected him alongside his leader on the first count, with 1.07 quotas.

  • 10 - Pat Rabbitte

    Pat Rabbitte *could* do better, but not by much - his 12867 votes in Dublin South West put him home on the first count with 1.37 quotas (4th).

  • 11 - Honourable Mentions

    Our list ranks candidates by the sheer number of first preferences - but with constituencies coming in all shapes and sizes, it's only fair to acknowledge FG duo Martin Heydon and Terence Flanagan. When ranking their votes by quotas, both make the adjusted top ten - with Heydon coming fifth on 1.33 quotas (12755 votes) in Kildare South, and Flanagan ninth on 1.18 quotas (12332 votes) in Dublin North East.
  • The Fine Gael leader was one of FOUR Fine Gael TDs to make it home in Mayo - and was the national polltopper in individual terms. Though one other candidate beat him in terms of quotas, Kenny's 17472 first preferences (1.413 quotas) were more than anyone else in the country could boast.
  • Narrowly behind Kenny in terms of both votes and quotas was independent Shane Ross, the former TCD senator who romped home on the first count in Dublin South. He won 17075 first preferences, and his 1.410 quotas puts him third on that list.
  • The Steward of the Manor of Northstead - whether he likes it or not - topped the poll in Louth, with 15072 people putting their first preference beside his name, giving him 1.3 quotas (7th) as Adams led Sinn Féin to historic breakthroughs.
  • Adams' Sinn Féin colleague, finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty, continued his electoral success in Donegal South West with a whopping 14262 first preferences - giving him 1.32 quotas (6th), slightly pipping Adams on that tweaked ranking.
  • Longtime TD and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry continued his dominance in Tipperary North, winning 14014 first preferences - amount to 1.17 quotas (10th) in the tight three-seater.
  • Fine Gael's most popular candidate in Louth, O'Dowd was second to Adams on his home turf - but can console himself with 13980 votes, easily bringing him home on the first count with 1.21 quotas (8th).
  • The first-time independent TD and soccer impresario Mick Wallace coasted home in Wexford, winning 13329 first preferences to top the five-seater with 1.06 quotas.
  • The former Fine Gael leader has had electoral nightmares before - he led the party to crushing defeat in 2002, losing 24 TDs - but the revitalised Limerick East stalwart accrued 13291 votes in the new Limerick City constituency, putting him top of the quotas list with 1.54 times the number he needed to make it on the first count.
  • One of Enda Kenny's three running mates in Mayo, Ring picked up a handsome vote of his own - his 13180 votes elected him alongside his leader on the first count, with 1.07 quotas.
  • Pat Rabbitte *could* do better, but not by much - his 12867 votes in Dublin South West put him home on the first count with 1.37 quotas (4th).
  • Our list ranks candidates by the sheer number of first preferences - but with constituencies coming in all shapes and sizes, it's only fair to acknowledge FG duo Martin Heydon and Terence Flanagan. When ranking their votes by quotas, both make the adjusted top ten - with Heydon coming fifth on 1.33 quotas (12755 votes) in Kildare South, and Flanagan ninth on 1.18 quotas (12332 votes) in Dublin North East.

As we mentioned, though, for every winner there’s a loser – and with over three times as many candidates as there were seats on offer, some were going to be eliminated earlier than others.

We’re not listing the poorer performers to be put on a pedestal and laughed at – far from it; election candidates come from all different creeds, hues, and backgrounds, and we list them here to celebrate the fact that they chose to run at all.

If the likes of these ten didn’t partake in our elections, Ireland would no doubt be a less healthy democracy than it is today.

  • Thomas King – The Oranmore farmer ran in Galway West in 2007, and picked up just 60 votes then. Though he was unsuccessful on his second turn, he did at least see an 8 per cent bump in support: he won 65 votes this time around.
  • Thomas Hollywood – The little-known independent candidate in Dublin Central didn’t make much of an impact on his electorate – he, just as King, won just 65 votes.
  • Robert Glynn – The economics student and former IT salesman ran in Louth on a platform of withdrawing Ireland from the Euro, but failed to capture local imaginations – he took 61 votes in Louth.
  • Michael Pat Cox – The first time independent in Laois-Offaly in a minister of the Irish Orthodox and Apostolic Church – better known as the man who ordained Sinéad O’Connor in 1999 – managed to take 60 votes.
  • Matt Larkin – 38-year-old independent who had previously run in local elections in Limerick City nobly decided not to erect campaign posters, saying his campaign didn’t have the money to waste on them. Sadly, his exposure suffered and he won just 59 first preference.
  • Liam Johnston – The Fís Nua candidate ran in Dublin Central on an anti-war ticket, also seeking to reduce the Dáil to 130 members. His campaign ended early, however, taking just 48 first preferences.
  • Seán Forkin – The first-time independent in Mayo, a farmer by profession, was among the many overswept by the Fine Gael wave in his constituency. He won the top preference of 29 voters.
  • John Keigher – Regular readers will recognise the name; in a Daily Fix last week we included his epic typewriter-made photocopied manifesto. Sadly, it didn’t give the Ranelagh barrister much exposure: he took just 27 first preferences in Dublin South East.
  • Benny Cooney – The independent ran in both Dublin Central and Longford-Westmeath, on a platform of Seanad abolition and protection for mortgage holders. He won 130 votes in the latter constituency, but managed just 25 in the capital.
  • Peadar Ó Ceallaigh – The media studies graduate and qualified building surveyor ran to publicise the Oisin Trust, which hopes to establish a trust fund for children with disabilities. His promise to donate 50 per cent of his wages to the trust sadly didn’t bring him home, but he is a champion in his own right: his campaign in Dublin South East won him 18 first preferences.

About the author:

Gavan Reilly
@gavreilly
gavan@thejournal.ie

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  • Joe Williams 01/03/11 #

    How can somebody run on an anti-war ticket? Was he looking for Westminster and got lost on the way?

    “I’m anti-war!”
    “Well so are the rest of us…”
    “Great, vote for me!”
    “But we’re not at war, nor have we been for 86 years…”
    “Well I also want to reduce the size of the Dáil.”

    I mean, I know I know, we’re not all that neutral. But an independent with an anti-war platform is like a fish with a bicycle…

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