This article is from page 11 of the 2014-05-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
WHAT are three votes between neighbours? Well, a lot when there is a Clare County Council seat at stake.
That was the reality that faced Fine Gael’s Ger O’Halloran when his neighbour, friend and political foe Clare Colleran Molloy from Fianna Fáil came from behind in the very last count to take the last seat in the Ennis Electoral Area.
On the 19th count there were five candidates remaining to take the last four seats.
O’Halloran was ahead of Colleran Molloy by 11 votes and positioned to take the seat.
However, Ann Norton, who was elected in the 18th count, still had a surplus to divide among the candidates and this brought in Colleran Molloy ahead of O’Halloran.
Norton’s transfer ensured the woman from Quin was ahead of her neighbour by three votes.
Following a mammoth count of the election area with the most candidates in the country, a recount was called.
Hours later both candidates were called to meet with returning officer Michael McNamara, as the crowd watched on.
He informed them that after the recount there was now five votes be- tween them and Ms Colleran Molloy was deemed elected.
There was devastation among O’Halloran’s supporters, and jubilation from those that lived just a few miles away.
A giant of a man, Ger O’Halloran, battled to keep his own emotions in check as he consoled family, friends and supporters.
“We were both from the Quin area and the association between the O’Hallorans and the Collerans goes back generations,” he told the media, describing Clare as “a very wonderful political foe”.
“But I want our families association to continue. You couldn’t make it up,” he said.
“My transfers as it all unfolded were very disappointing. At times I needed to open a little gap to feel more comfortable, but I could feel this dripping away from me. It never ran away from me. It drifted away from me. And ultimately it came down to the one last transfer of votes.
“You just couldn’t make this up as I said. How it has unfolded has added to the drama here in over the last two days,” he added, summing up the political spectacle.
While Mr O’Halloran said it was too soon to say for definite if he would contest another election, his wife Ciara and supporters were quick to say, he would be ready in five years time.