Following two long days of counting, the last two seats in the Donegal constituency have been filled by newcomer Charles Ward of the 100% Redress Party and Fianna Fail’s Charlie McConalogue.
At 1:46am, returning officer Geraldine O’Connor confirmed the inevitable after the distribution of Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher’s 889 surplus.
Of these, Ward received 85 to give him a final vote of 11,714. McConalogue got 664 of ‘the Cope’s transfers to fill the fifth and final seat with 11,683 and proceeded to celebrate like he had never done before.
In the 34th Dáil, they will be joined by Pearse Doherty and Padraig MacLochlainn of Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail’s Pat ‘the Cope’.