Daly and O’Sullivan retain Seanad seats for Kerry

KERRY will have two representatives on the 26thy Seanad after Fianna Fáil Senators Mark Daly and Ned were both re-elected to the Senate last week.

Kenmare based Senator Daly – who has been a member of the Senate since 2007 - topped the poll in the election for the Seanad’s Administrative Panel on Friday with his 167 vote tally seeing him easily re-elected at the first count, well over the 141 vote quota.

Fresh from his poll topping finish in the Seanad race Senator Daly has now thrown his hat into the ring for the position of Cathaoirleach of the Seanad.

Senator Mark Daly has informed his Seanad colleagues that he is seeking to be appointed to the position and he will face off against Fianna Fáil party colleagues Diarmuid Wilson and outgoing Cathoirleach Denis O’Donovan in to fill the role.

Seantor Daly will be joined once again in the Upper House by his party colleague and fellow Kerryman Ned O’Sullivan.

Senator O’Sullivan was comfortably re-elected to his seat on the Seanad’s 11 seat Labour Panel at the 15th count last

Wednesday. This will be the veteran Listowel based politician’s fourth term of office as a Senator.

Though Kerry will have a strong voice in the Senate chamber it will be a reduced one as Killarney based Fine Gael Senator Paul Coughlin – who retired from politics ahead of the election – will not be returning alongside his two county colleagues from across the political divide.

Three other Kerry contenders also contested the election unsuccessfully.

Former Kerry TD and Councillor Tom McEllistrim failed in his bid to take a seat on the Agricultural Panel.

Mr McEllistrim was eliminated from the panel race at the seventh count on Tuesday evening.

With 22 votes he had fallen well short of the 94 vote quota needed to take a seat.

Meanwhile Kerry Fine Gael senate candidates Cllr Patrick Connor Scarteen and Tom Sheahan also both failed in the bids.

The Kerry County Councillor and the former Kerry TD and Senator had been seeking election to the nine seat Industrial and Commercial panel.

Cllr Connor Scarteen was eliminated at the 20th count in Dublin Castle on Thursday night while Mr Sheahan bowed out of the race a few hours later at the 29th count.

Count staff at work during last week’s Seanad Election Count at Dublin Castle. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak no media were allowed attend the coun with candidates also urged to stay away.

Senator Ned O’Sullivan

Senator Mark Daly