A few words on an enthralling Mayo General Election
The five elected candidates. Photos by: John Corless
After arriving home from Castlebar on Sunday night, I felt compelled to write a few lines on an eventful weekend.
First of all, politics was never my forte, but after covering the local and general elections, I have gained an interest in the subject - especially following the last few days.
Walking into the TF on Saturday, I knew my role, and it was to keep the public updated and informed through our live blog.
My colleague Paul O'Malley also ran the two-day blog alongside me while John Corless produced some top-quality video content for us to use on social, giving our digital coverage an extra dynamic this time around.
The battle for the fifth and final seat was interesting, to say the least. One by one, each seat was taken - the gap narrowing between candidates as the day progressed.
Rose Conway-Walsh was the first elected on the sixth count, followed by Alan Dillon and Dara Calleary on the eighth before Keira Keogh and Paul Lawless took the last two seats on the 11th and final count at around 8.30pm on Sunday.
The word recount was mentioned once or twice amongst the media as the evening arrived but that thankfully didn't come to fruition, with Lawless' exceptional performance on transfers getting him over the line ahead of Patsy O'Brien.
Speaking about the media, I have to commend all of the members present in Castlebar during the course of the weekend. All are passionate about their jobs, aiming to give the public the best coverage possible, while also being there to provide a helping hand if anything is missed.
Since joining the Western People last May, I have enjoyed the valuable moments of having the chance to cover events such as these.
Watching on from above as the counts came in and the candidates cheered and rejoiced was memorable. It is something which will always stick with me during my career in journalism.
Last of all, Mayo have their five TDs set for Dáil Éireann. Three are heading back, and two are giving it a go for the first time.
I wish them the very best of luck.
