Election 2024: Belmullet three-seater will be a close-run thing
The battle for votes in Belmullet will prove crucial to the outcome of the election in an area that takes in a large swathe of Mayo's Atlantic seaboard. Picture: John O'Grady
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Micheál 'Boxty' Ó Conaill (Green Party); John Paul Carey (Non-Party), Sean Carey (Fianna Fáil), Pat Chambers (Fine Gael), Gerry Coyle (Fine Gael), Rosaleen Dixon Lally (Sinn Féin), Jay Heneghan (Non-Party), Paul McNamara (Fianna Fáil)
There are only three seats up for grabs in the Belmullet Local Electoral Area but it takes in a large swathe of the Mayo coastline, from the Barony of Erris to Achill Island. Inevitably, geographical factors come into play and the vote tends to be divided between these two distinct areas with candidates from Erris rarely attracting too many votes from Achill and vice versa. However, there also is a 'middle ground' in Ballycroy, Mulranny and Tienaur, although it wouldn't be sufficient to elect a candidate on its own.
The three outgoing councillors are all running again. Geesala-based Gerry Coyle topped the poll last time out with an impressive 1,806 votes and was elected on the first count. The Fianna Fáil duo of Paul McNamara and Seán Carey claimed the second and third seats after receiving 1,696 and 1,602 first preferences respectively. Indeed, the Belmullet count was the shortest of them in 2019, consisting of a mere two counts.
It would be a major shock if Paul McNamara failed to hold his seat. In 2019, he faced an Achill-based challenger in Breege Grealis, who polled a very respectable 655 first preferences, but this time he has the island to himself and that should count for something. However, there is a traditional Fine Gael vote on Achill dating back to the days of the long-serving councillor Pat Kilbane, and the party will hope that Newport-based Pat Chambers will be able to tap into that, as well as some of the votes that would have gone to former Independent councillor Michael Holmes in the Mulranny/Ballycroy areas.
Cllr Gerry Coyle was one of the beneficiaries of Holmes' retirement in 2019 and saw his vote increase by almost 50% from 2014 when he polled just over 1,200 first preferences. This is Coyle's sixth election, having first taken a seat in 1999, and he would be delighted to record a similar performance to five years ago. But it may not be that easy. There will be strong competition from newcomers Micheál 'Boxty' Ó Conaill and Rosaleen Dixon Lally who are both based in Belmullet, as well of course outgoing councillor Seán Carey, who has just completed his term as cathaoirleach of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District.
Sinn Féin was bitterly disappointed to lose its seat in Belmullet in 2019 when the party suffered a near wipeout in Mayo. The defeated candidate, Teresa Whelan, took 1,092 first preferences, which was actually a pretty good performance on a bad day for her party. Rosaleen Dixon Lally will need to boost that by about 50% to be in with a shout of taking a seat.
Micheál Ó Conaill owned and managed the boxty factory in Belmullet - hence the name - and he will hope to take a decent, but it will be the story of the election if the Green Party manages to take a seat in turf-cutting Erris!
