Byrne vows to fight another day
AFTER polling 3,911 first preference votes, Fianna Fail’s James Byrne (right) knew this would not be his election.
But his last words as he left the count centre were for those that had supported him throughout the campaign.
‘I am very proud of the effort we put in. There was a great team behind me and we’ll live to fight another day.
‘ The supporters were so loyal and were there when I needed anything. I am disappointed for them, more than myself,’ he stated.
He says the party will learn from the experience.
‘At the end of the day, the message didn’t get across the way we wanted it to,’ he stated.
‘It is tough but the people spoke and made up their minds. The Sinn Fein message resonated with them and it’s as simple as that. The people will decide.’
He said even during the local elections, the FG/ FF agreement took some explaining, but it was the words spoken by Mary Lou McDonald during the course of this campaign that swayed minds.
‘ Whatever she said clicked with people and it was hard to change minds after that. We were fighting a losing battle,’ he stated.