CASEY’S WHOPPING KERRY VOTE
MASSIVE SURGE FOR CASEY AS THE CONTROVERSIAL CANDIDATE TAKES 28 PER CENT OF THE KINGDOM VOTE
28% of Kerry voters opted to give presidential candidate Peter Casey the nod. His support in Kerry was higher than the national average of 23% in a political result that surprised many.
The final result in Kerry was announced at around 8.20pm - 18 minutes after Michael D Higgins has been announced as the new president in Dublin Castle – 11 hours after counting began. The Kerry result was known in Dublin but local officials did not announce the result in Kerry until considerably later.
The final poll showed Michael D Higgins with just over 50% of votes in Kerry in the 2018 presidential election with 25,078 first preference votes in favour of the sitting president.
The final results for Peter Casey gave him 13,752 first preference votes or 27.46% of the vote in the county.
The former Dragon from Derry received the nod from Kerry County Council in September – the first council to give him the go-ahead to run (they were followed by Clare, Limerick and Tipperary). Cllr Michael Cahill nominated Mr Casey and Johnny Healy Rae seconded his nomination.
His poll success in Kerry comes following comments made during the campaign trail regarding travellers which would appear to have given him an edge over the other non -incumbent candidates.
Unusually there were no party tallies carried out in Kerry leading the media to join forces in an effort to compile a mini tally. Though it is by no means a full picture it is an indication of the way Kerry voted.
Mr Casey surged ahead in boxes in Castleisland, Curranes and Knocknogoshel with 38.68%, 37% and 36.1% of the vote respectively.
These are generally areas with a high traveller population.
This in keeping with a similar trend in Limerick where tallies showed Mr Casey was the clear favourite in Rathkeale and other nearby areas with a high traveller population.
Contrast this with boxes in South Kerry. In Kenmare he got only 11.6% of the vote and in The Glen 16.4%, both areas with little or no traveller population.
This would suggest that his comments about the travelling community resonated in Kerry. There may also be other reasons for his popularity in the county – a protest vote or a kickback from the ‘squeezed middle’ who are sick of paying for everything.
In another surprising turn in West Cork based MEP Liadh Ní Riada did not get as many votes as would be expected in the constituency given the strong support for the party in the North of the county. She received 8.49% of the vote in Kerry and the limited tally showed her only get 15% in Martin Ferris electoral stronghold. She did poll relatively well in some areas in South Kerry according to the limited tally.
Sinn Fein’s Deputy Martin Ferris, however, said that “she did republicans proud”.
“I think she has done reasonably well in Kerry,” he said.
“This is an entirely different election. It’s a presidential election and people are going to make their choice on that and it is Michael D Higgins first and Peter Casey second and Liadh third. All the establishment parties are behind Michael D and you can see that on the ballot paper,” he said.
In 2011 Sinn Fein’s presidential candidate fared much better with Martin McGuinness receiving 16.8% of the vote in North Kerry and 14.9% in South Kerry. Liadh Ni Riadh in comparison did not even reach 10% of the vote.
The support for Michael D Higgins in Kerry was at a similar level to 2011 when he also topped the poll.
Seven years ago he picked up 24,561 first preference votes topping the poll in both Kerry constituencies.
Meanwhile the popularity of Sean Gallagher – who also ran in 2011 – took a nosedive in the polls this time around.
In 2011 in Kerry he came in second place with 19,577 votes across the county.
The 2018 picture was very different with a massive drop in his vote seeing him secure just 5.7% of the overall first preference vote in Kerry.