Fianna Fail had some success this time out with Dublin City Councillor Chris Andrews, son of the late MEP Niall Andrews, nephew to the former Fianna Fail Foreign Minister, David Andrews, a cousin of Barry Andrews TD and grandson of the former Fianna Fáil Minister Todd Andrews.

Chris topped the poll with 6,600 first preference votes and was elected on the third count and successfully retained the Fianna Fáil seat being vacated by MEP Eoin Ryan. Chris Andrews had served on Dublin City Council from 1999 until 2004 when he lost out in the last local elections but was co-opted back on the Council last year for the South East Inner City Ward. He had previously worked in tourism and catering and is married with two daughters and lives in Dundrum.

Lucinda Creighton of Fine Gael came a close second with 6,311 first preference votes, winning back the seat the party had lost in 2002 in a constituency that once returned two FG seats when Garret FitzGerald was party leader. Lucinda was elected on the fifth count after a long campaign. She was elected to Dublin City Council in 2004 for the Pembroke Ward and recently qualified as a barrister and had worked on a special task force begun in 2003 charged with the rejuvenation of Fine Gael in Dublin.

Former Labour Party leader and minister for Finance in the last rainbow Government, 1994-1997 Ruairi Quinn came through after a respectable first preference vote of 5,636. There had been some speculation that Ruairi’s seat might be in jeopardy but his total count after distribution of preferences saw him elected on the fifth count with 6,861 votes. Ruairi Quinn was the minister for enterprise and employment from 1993-1994 and was minister for labour during the 1980s and served as minister for public service and as a minister of state with responsibility for housing and urban renewal. He qualified as an architect in UCD and was spokesman for enterprise trade and employment in the last Dáil.

The major showdown on the night was the defeat by John Gormley of the Green Party over the Progressive Democrats’ Michael McDowell. John Gormley tallied 4,685 first preference votes over McDowell’s 4,450, some 235 less than Gormley and after the distribution of preferences John Gormley totalled 6,395 and McDowell 6,091. The battle this time saw John Gormley overcome McDowell without the prolonged re-count that took place between them in the 1997 Election when Gormley won with just a 27 vote majority. John Gormley is the Green party’s spokesman on foreign affairs, defence and health. He was a Dublin city councillor from 1991 until 1997 and author of the ‘Green Guide to Ireland’.

Other candidates in Dublin South east were Jim O’Callaghan of Fianna Fail with 3,450 votes; Daithi Doolan of Sinn Féin with 1,716; Esther Uzell, independent 603; Rory Hearne, People before Profit, 591; Eoin Tierney, independent, 102; Noel Ivory, independent, 84; Peter O’Sullivan, independent, 34; and Noel O’Gara, independent, 27.

Above: A pre-election combination of high winds and bendy posters gave rise to this alarming ‘compromise candidate’ on a lampost at Strand Road.