RECAP: How the last Local and European Election panned out and whose running in 2024 so far SLIGO-STRANDHILL

THE newly-established Sligo-Strandhill Electoral Area featured 11 candidates contesting six seats.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had two candidates each - Tom MacSharry and Rosaleen O'Grady (FF) and Blaine Gaffney and Sinead Maguire (FG).

Declan Bree (Independents 4 Change), Chris MacManus (Sinn Fein), Gino O'Boyle (People Before Profit), Nessa Cogrove (Labour), Finbarr Filan (Renua), Miranda O'Donnell (Green) and Jim McGarry (Independent) made up the rest of the ballot.

8,650 registered voters turned out to cast their vote.

The first count saw the elimination of Miranda O'Donnell on 175 votes, while Declan Bree was elected at the first hurdle with 1,348 votes.

The following two counts saew Finbarr Filan and Jim McGarry eliminated before Tom MacSharry was officially declared elected on the fourt count with 1,140 votes.

Nessa Cosgrove bowed out on the fifth count, leaving a five-horse race for four remaining spots all to be declared in the sixth county.

Rosaleen O'Grady, Chris MacManus, Sinead Maguire and Gino O'Boyle were all elected, leaving Blaine Gaffney as the last candidate to miss out.

Familiar faces will be on the campaign trail this June hoping to once again be elected to represent the ward of Sligo Strandhill.

Fianna Fáil's out-going Councillors, Tom MacSharry and Rosaleen Grady, are putting themselves up for re-election after being nominated by the party last year.

In 2019, both had to wait until the final count to be elected but had polled highly throughout.

Sinn Féin will be hoping to get a new face onto the Council for this ward as they announced they will be running two candidates – Arthur Gibbons and Pauline Donnelly.

Last time out, they only ran one candidate, Chris MacManus – who was elected on the final count in 2019 with his tally increasing with each redistribution of fallen candidates' votes.

MacManus left the seat to take up the vacant MEP role for the North WestMidlands constituency with Gibbons being co-opted in his place.

Upon his selection last December, Gibbons said: “Housing, community facilities and amenities, and local infrastructure will be a priority for the Sinn Fein team. Ending the housing crisis is Sinn Féin's number one priority, and a strong team of Sinn Féin councillors will hit the ground running here in Sligo to deliver, so that people locally can begin to see a real difference.”

All eyes will be on Declan Bree to see if he will be contesting his tenth election in a row.

If so, the Independents 4 Change Councillor will chalk up the 50th anniversary of his first election to Sligo County Council.

Sinead Maguire of Fine Gael will not be standing for re-election having announced her decision to retire from politics. Fine Gael have yet to announce who will be standing for election to Strandhill.

Solidarity-People Before Profit's Gino O'Boyle is expected to stand for re-election after he was elected on the final count in 2019.

Finally, Nessa Cosgrove of Labour is set to contest the seat again after falling at the fifth count five years ago.