Portlaoise: Aird tops the poll, Mulligan in business, Connell to lose out – and fight for the last seat between Naeem Iqbal and Marie Tuohy

The Portlaoise Municipal District rarely disappoints in terms of drama and storylines.

Fine Gael’s Willie Aird tops the poll again. Independent Tommy Mulligan set for a breakthrough success. Thomasina Connell (Fine Gael) to lose her seat. And a fight for the last seat between outgoing councillor Marie Tuohy of Labour and Fianna Fáil newcomer, Pakistani native Naeem Iqbal.

There is also a first election success for Barry Walsh (Fine Gael), holding the seat he was co-opted to midway through the last council term and continuing a proud Ballyroan tradition of having their own councillor, one that spans back to 1957 and through Charlie McDonald and Mary Sweeney.

In a record field of 20 candidates, Fianna Fáil’s John Joe Fennelly has maintained his proud vote-getting ability in Abbeyleix and Sinn Fein’s Caroline Dwane-Stanley is also comfortably re-elected. So too is Catherine Fitzgerald, who like John Joe Fennelly, was first elected in 1999 and for whom this is a sixth election success.

Aird’s appeal to the voters is as strong as ever in what is his eighth successive council election success, a spell of local political dominance that stretches back to 1985. He polled 1,541 votes, 80 ahead of the quota of 1,461.

But the big talking point from here on in will be in the battle for the final seat in Portlaoise. Naeem Iqbal is on 624 votes; Marie Tuohy, co-opted to replace her husband Noel in the last term is on 632.

As the great election cliche goes, it will all be decided by transfers.

And the start of those transfers will be Willie Aird, who exceeds the quota by 80 votes.

1. Willie Aird (Fine Gael) – 1,541
2. Caroline Dwane-Stanley (Sinn Fein) – 1,415
3. John Joe Fennelly (Fianna Fail) – 1,147
4. Tommy Mulligan (Independent) – 1,099
5. Catherine Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail) – 1,089
6. Barry Walsh (Fine Gael) – 849
7. Marie Tuohy (Labour) – 632
8. Naeem Iqbal (Fianna Fail) – 624
9. Thomasina Connell (Fine Gael) – 540
10. Pauline Flanagan (Independent) – 389
11. Bolaji Adeyanju (Independent) – 345
12. Dom Dunne (Independent) – 340
13. Rosie Palmer (Green Party) – 295
14. Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein) – 276
15. Noel Burke (Independent) – 263
16. Donal Kelly (Independent) – 244
17. Colette Byrne (Independent Ireland) – 233
18. Martha Ryan (Aontu) – 182
19. Jason Phelan (Sinn Fein) – 124
20. John Cowhig (Independent) – 49

SEE ALSO – Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick: Bergin boosts his vote big time as FF transfers to get McDonald home

SEE ALSO – Story of the count: How Graiguecullen-Portarlington is unfolding – Laois Today