Pat the Cope Gallagher is on the road back to Dáil Eireann.
With over 10,000 first preference votes in the tally, the Fianna Fáil veteran has a spring in his step.
Since losing his seat in 2020, he has upheld his goal of walking 5km a day.
And he says he never stopped working either.
“All I lost that night was my seat, I didn’t lose my contacts,” he tells Donegal Daily.
“Over all of those four years it was so rewarding to be able to deliver for people, not major projects but individuals. That’s what I believe is the old style politician.”
Gallagher knows there are challenges ahead for the 34th Dail. His priorities, he said, will be on the cost of living, housing, education, and speaking up for the squeezed middle.
First, there’s the matter of forming a coalition.
On this, he said: “The people have spoken, I believe that all parties have to sit down and discuss this, it’s a major challenge to decide.
“It will be difficult, I will express my strongly held views within the parliamentary party and will await the outcome then.
“I will be anxious to see what is in the programme for government.”
