Cllr Seamus McGrath was re-elected to his seat earning the highest number of first preference votes in the country.
Cllr Seamus McGrath, a Fianna Fáil candidate in the Carrigaline Municipal District, was re-elected to his seat earning the highest number of first preference votes in the country.
Mr McGrath was elected with 5,191 first preference votes at the first count shortly after 11pm on Saturday at County Hall in Cork, earning more than 2.5 times the quota for the LEA, which was 2,057 votes.
“It was a fantastic vote and I was quite shocked at the level of support I received… I was very overwhelmed,” he told the Irish Independent.
In response to the 3,000 surplus, the Mr McGrath said he is “humbled”.
“It was late on Saturday night when I got elected so there has been no major celebrations yet, but it is a huge sense of relief and gratitude.
“It is very humbling to receive such a vote but it is the recognition of hard work and it is good to see that in politics, hard work is recognised,” he said.
When asked if he has ambitions to follow his brother into Dáíl Éireann, Mr McGrath said: “I have been quite open about it… if an opportunity arises to have a run for the general election and to the Dáil, then that is something I would be open to and would welcome.”
However, for now he said he intends on focusing on his role as a councillor, which he has held for the last 17 years, over four elections.
Mr McGrath said despite having a brother as a minister, the Passage West harbour town natives “did not come from a political family at all”.
“Both Michael and I got interested in politics in college in university in Cork,” he said.
“Our parents weren’t involved in the party at all. We both got involved around that time in college. Thankfully politics has been good to us,” he said.
He credited Passage West Town Council, where he and Michael, before being elected to the Dáíl in 2007, were members of, as being their “stepping stone” into the world of politics.
“It is something we both enjoy doing and we are fortunate enough to be supported by the community in doing it,” he added.
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The former County Cork Mayor thanked everyone who went to the effort of voting for him and recognised his work in the community.
He put his landslide victory down to being very involved in the community on many issues, as well as supporting families and individuals.
“It really boils down to being as active a public representative as possible, trying to stay accessible to everybody and trying your best on any given issue,” the UCC bachelor of commerce graduate added.
He credited a good and “vibrant” 10-week campaign, where he said he was surrounded by a group of loyal people who all pitched in and put in as much effort as they could while out canvassing and knocking on doors.
“Thankfully it has worked,” he added.
