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Counting in the local government elections will continue into a third day as the last few remaining seats remain up for grabs.<\/p>\nCounting in the local government elections will continue into a third day as the last few remaining seats remain up for grabs.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il so far appears to be on course to remain the biggest party at local government level.<\/p>\n
Fine Gael has gained seats, but the biggest surge will be enjoyed by the Green Party with its major gains.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sinn F\u00e9in has suffered huge losses on councils nationwide.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald described the local elections as a \u201cchallenging weekend\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were always very conscious that we were operating from a very high base because we had a Sinn F\u00e9in surge five years ago,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am disappointed, we are all disappointed, that very many hardworking councilors who have served their community with great integrity and honor, are now not going to be returned to council.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to have to reflect on that, I imagine there is a number of factors and we need to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the results of the local elections showed a \u201cmixed picture\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vote is up and we are going to gain seats but not as many as we had hoped for a few weeks ago,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cNotwithstanding that, it is the first time in 20 years that a party in government has actually gained councilors and that\u2019s not a small thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very pleased in my own constituency that it looks like we picked up two gains. There was a time when I was the only Fine Gael councilor in Dublin West…We now have four or five depending on the count.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are around 100 seats to be filled across the country.<\/p>\n
The first new councilor to be elected was independent Thomas Welby to Galway County Council.<\/p>\n
He topped the poll with 2,140 votes in the Connemara North local electoral area, despite not putting up any election posters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I\u2019ll canvass on the doors and go plastic-free and it went down very well,\u201d he told RTE News.<\/p>\n
Voters went to the polls on Friday to elect 949 councillors across 31 local authorities.<\/p>\n
Some of the notable candidates included UFC fighter Paddy Holohan who won a seat on South Dublin County Council as a Sinn F\u00e9in councilor.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald congratulated the Greens on their surge, saying it would be \u201cchurlish not to acknowledge that\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our part, I want to say firstly to all of our candidates who fought campaigns for weeks and months and to their families, a very big thank you, and to all of our activists and everyone who came out and voted for Sinn F\u00e9in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to say particularly to those who won\u2019t be returned to the council chambers, who have served their community with great pride and great commitment, I want to say to them, they\u2019ll be back, I have no doubt, and it\u2019ll be our objective from Monday when we recover to win all of those seats back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are very tight contests in many constituencies…Last seats will be won or lost in handfuls of votes, that\u2019s the nature of local elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the plebiscite papers will be counted on Monday.<\/p>\n