Election 2024: Another epic count is likely in Sligo seven-seater

No of Seats: 7

Candidates (15): 

Liam Brennan (Fianna Fáil); Michael Clarke (Independent); Peter Cleary (Fine Gael); Martin Connolly (Fine Gael); James Conway (Irish Freedom Party); Barry Gallagher (Fianna Fáil); Jason Gorman (Sinn Féin); Emma Hendrick (PBP-Solidarity); Keith Henry (Fianna Fáil); Gerard Mullaney (Fine Gael); Dara Mulvey (Fine Gael); Donal O’Connor (Sinn Féin); Joe Queenan (Independent); Paul Taylor (Fianna Fáil); Jennifer Van Aswegen (Sinn Féin)

Fifteen candidates will be vying for seven seats in the Ballymote-Tubbercurry local electoral area next Friday.

The vast constituency stretches from Enniscrone in the west to Coolaney in the east taking in Dromore West, Easkey and its namesake towns of Ballymote and Tubbercurry. It is a largely rural area with a farming population.

In 2019, Fine Gael claimed three of the seven seats, Fianna Fáil took two with two Independents making up the rest. All current councillors are seeking election with the exception of Cllr Martin Baker of Fianna Fáil, who has retired. Ballymote-Tubbercurry was the only Sligo MD with no female representative for the past five years.

Both sitting Independents are running once more. Cllr Joe Queenan has been sitting on Sligo County Council since 1999 and is hoping to be successful again in his sixth local election. Cllr Michael Clarke has also been a long-serving councillor - the Dromore West man was first elected in 2009.

Fianna Fáil are running four candidates in the constituency this time around. Cllr Paul Taylor performed well in 2019 with the former Sligo inter-county player and manager getting 1,886 first preferences. The Gurteen man was the first candidate elected following the third count.

Keith Henry from Ballymote fell short in 2019 but has stepped forward hoping for better this time around for Fianna Fáil. He is one of only two candidates aged 18-35 running for Sligo County Council across the area’s three districts. Barry Gallagher from Tourlestrane also ran in 2019 as an Independent but fell well short of the required votes and will be hoping for better now as part of the Fianna Fáil ticket.

Liam Brennan from Riverstown is the fourth and final Fianna Fáil candidate and will be hoping to pick up votes from the area that the retiring Cllr Baker drew heavily from.

Fine Gael is also running four candidates in this area, three of whom were elected in 2019. Cllr Dara Mulvey from Coolaney was the first party candidate over the line in 2019 on the seventh count. He was shortly followed by Cllrs Martin Connolly from Tubbercurry and Gerard Mullaney from Moytura East, both of whom were elected on the tenth and final count.

Patrick Cleary from Enniscrone is the fourth and final candidate for Fine Gael in the Ballymote-Tubbercurry area.

Sinn Féin ran just one candidate in this area in 2019 and polled poorly, gaining less than 3% of the first-preference vote. They have put forward three candidates for this election. Jason Gorman from Tubbercurry, Donal O’Connor from Geevagh and Jennifer Van Aswegen from Dromore West.

People Before Profit-Solidarity has put forward Emma Hendrick as a candidate. She previously served as a councillor on South Dublin County Council before relocating to Drumcliffe in Co Sligo in 2020.

The Irish Freedom Party has put forward James Conway from Ballinacarrow. He unsuccessfully ran as an Independent candidate in the 2020 General Election in Sligo-Leitrim, gaining 1,300 first-preference votes and is the second candidate aged 18-35 running for Sligo County Council.