So what happened? A look at five key Kerry areas in General Election 2020

THE ELECTION HAS CAUSED A SEISMIC SHIFT IN IRISH POLITICS. SIMON BROUDER EXAMINES SOME KEY AREAS THAT DETERMINED THE OUTCOME IN KERRY

AS the fallout from the General Election continues, party strategists across the country will be having a close look at the tally sheets to try and work out just how the remarkable result unfolded.

Kerry will be no different, and an examination of the 2016 and 2020 General Election tallies offers up some fascinating insights into how the election was won and lost in the constituency.

The Kerryman decided to take a closer look at a few key areas in Kerry to get a better handle on what happened in the county and why.

The story of the General Election has been the phenomenal rise of Sinn Féin, and Kerry was no exception.

Though Michael Healy-Rae did manage to keep Pa Daly from topping the poll – no mean feat given Sinn Féin’s barnstorming performances across the state – the Sinn Féin vote surged across most of the county.

Voters in Tralee, Killarney and Listowel backed Sinn Féin in large numbers, and the party was a significant presence in ballot boxes across much of the constituency, rivalling the HealyRae brothers’ combined vote in many of them.

An interesting trend that emerges from the tallies is Sinn Féin’s failure to expand its vote along the Iveragh peninsula, however.

While the party did pick up votes in the area, its support waned noticeably in ballot boxes from towns and villages south of Killorglin and Kenmare.

Sinn Féin has made major inroads in Killarney – a town where it has never traditionally had a significant support base – but its growth further south looks to be proceeding at a much slower pace.

Meanwhile, the tallies also clearly show the devastating impact that the presence of Norma Foley on the ticket had on her Fianna Fáil running mate John Brassil’s vote.

Tough Brassil’s vote was down across most of the county it was the loss of Tralee, to locally based Foley, that dealt the killer blow to his chances of holding his seat.

Brassil’s vote was down by a massive 1,281 votes in Tralee town, and the tallies suggest that the vast majority of these votes went directly to Norma Foley and sent her to the Dáil in Brassil’s place.

The Green party has also fared well across the county and should have high hopes of securing a council seat in the near future.

“A trend in the tallies shows Sinn Féin failed to grow its vote across much of Iveragh”