Galway East set to have two new TDs

By Siobhan Holliman

THE new look three-seater in Galway East looks sets to elect two new TDs looking at the tally results in the count centre in New Inn.
Tuam-based Sean Canney has polled extremely well with 19 per cent of the vote while Fine Gael's Ciaran Cannon and Fianna Fáil's Anne Rabbitte are the strong contenders at this stage to take the other two seats.
Two new faces means that two sitting TDs will lose their seat. The constituency boundary changes have proven to be devastating for FG Paul Connaughton who is in real danger of losing the seat he won in 2011- a seat his father had held for 30 years previously.
FF's Colm Keaveney is another TD who looks set not to return to the Dail. It will be a different New Inn count centre for the former Labour TD to the one where he celebrated in 2011.
It looks like Labour's Lorraine Higgins will be among the first of the main candidates to be eliminated and she is transferring to Cannon and Connaughton. When Keaveney is eliminated his votes are speculated to go to Canney and Connaughton.
However, Paul Connaughton doesn't look like picking up enough transfers to catch Ciaran Cannon.
Looking at other candidates - Tuam's Aengus Melia DDI has done well for his first election with more than 500 votes while Sinn Fein's Anne Marie Roche will secure about 6 % of first preferences.
The quota is likely to be around 11,300 and the turnout is between 65-67%.

The tallies are
Canney IND 8,396 19%
Cannon FG 6794 15.5%
Connaughton FG 6,303 14.3 %
Fahy IND 2,304 5.3%
Higgins LAB 4,342 9.9%
Keaveney FF 5,279 12%
Melia DDI 516 1.2%
Ni Chronin GP 724 1.6%
Rabbitte FF 6,681 15.1 %
Roche 2,577 5.9%