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With 15 candidates in the field, transfers were always going to play a major factor in deciding all six seats in Crotlieve…and what an important part they played.
In 2019, Independent candidate Jarlath Tinnelly topped the poll with 1,412 first preference votes while Sinn Féin’s Gerry O’Hare, standing in his first election, was second with 1,286 votes.
But while a week might be a long time in politics, four years will seem a world away to both O’Hare and Tinnelly, as the former lost his seat to the latter by 1.09 votes on count 10 - this despite O’Hare increasing his first preference vote to 1,345 while Tinnelly’s dropped by almost 400 to 1,043 – it came down to transfers.
It was a debutant in the field, Sinn Féin’s Selina Murphy who led the way with 1,863 votes, just 12 short of the 1875 quota.
She passed that at count two following the elimination and transfers from three candidates after count one - the SDLP’s third candidate Anne Sheridan (183 votes), Green Party candidate Hugh O’Reilly (96 votes) and Independent Finbarr Lambe (23 first preference votes). But it was to be sometime, and with a bit of drama, before the next Crotlieve councillor was known.
Ricky McGaffin, UUP, with 448 votes was eliminated on count two, and while the Alliance Party were expected to have something of an impact, that failed to materialise and Daniel Neary, on 660 votes, exited the contest at count three. One of four Independent candidates, Jim Boylan, who increased his vote from 788 in 2019 to 818 was eliminated after count four before the DUP’s Keith Parke, with 600 first preference votes, up from 371 in 2019, was put out after count five.
The failure to be in the right place at the right time and running a third candidate will be rued by the SDLP as they lost one of their two seats in Crotlieve with Karen McKevitt eliminated, after transfers, by one vote, 1305 to Jarlath Tinnelly’s 1306 after count seven.
There was something of an issue at this point with the SDLP seeking a recount as there were six votes unaccounted for.
However, Newry.ie were told by one official that in the morning all Crotlieve candidates and agents were informed of the unaccounted votes, and all agreed to proceed aware of this fact. But it transpired that neither Mrs McKevitt, nor her agent, were in the count hall and present at the time with the other candidates and agents.
The matter of the unaccounted votes was only raised when transfers left the SDLP candidate trailing, and by only one vote. However, this was well into the process and too late - something confirmed by the Deputy Returning Officer, Council CEO Marie Ward. Mrs McKevitt can appeal the process and has 21 days from last Friday to do so.
It’s not clear why the SDLP decided to run three candidates this time after failing to elect three in 2019. Just two would have, in all probability, guaranteed the party retained their two seats…a lesson to be learned perhaps.
With Mrs McKevitt eliminated, things picked up pace, if ever so slightly.
Declan McAteer (SDLP) with 1,233 first preference votes, up from 1,175 in 2019, was elected on count eight and was soon followed by Independent Mark Gibbons, whose personal vote held up at 1,111, after count nine.
The Sinn Féin pairing of Mickey Ruane (1,387 votes) and Kate Murphy (1,397 votes) were next home after count ten as was Cllr Tinnelly, with Gerry O’Hare eliminated.
Sinn Féin ran four candidates in Crotlieve in 2019 and it proved something of a disaster with the party returning just two candidates and losing a seat and only polling 3,426 first preference votes, or 29.41% of the 11,649 votes.
There was surprise then when they opted for four candidates again this time around. But they very nearly pulled it off - another 1.1 vote would have given then a full hand so to speak.
In the process the party increased its vote to 5,992 first preferences, translating to 45.19% of the 13,258 votes cast - some jump from four years ago.
While it would be unfair on the SDLP to compare like-for-like first preference votes or percentages against Sinn Féin, as they ran a candidate less, in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, their own first preferences votes over the last two elections will be of concern.
In 2019, the SDLP polled 3,099 votes, this time around that number dropped to 2,327.
