Little doubt about outcome as first ballot papers spilled from boxes

It was clear that Michael D Higgins had taken Meath East as soon as the first votes spilled from the ballot boxes at the count centre in Donaghmore-Ashbourne GAA centre just after 9am last Friday morning. Craning their necks over the barriers, a team of 25 tally men and women drawn from Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Fein plus two Sean Gallagher supporters, tried to keep pace with the counters. With no official Fianna Fail candidate in the race, the party's tally men were conspicuous by their absence; not even the Fianna Fail councillors who had secured the backing of the council for Sean Gallagher's nomination in September put in an appearance. The votes from the towns in the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area were counted first and the tallies showed Mr Higgins on 42 per cent - 13 points clear of his nearest rival, Sean Gallagher (29%), with Martin McGuinness (10%) in third place and David Norris (8%) ahead of Gay Mitchell (6%), Mary Davis (3%) and Dana Rosemary Scallon (2%). Within half an hour, Labour TD Dominic Hannigan was in super-confident mood. "I'm calling it for Michael D," he said as he tweeted updates constantly on his mobile phone. However, the Gallagher camp took heart from learning that their candidate was gaining some ground thanks to a stronger showing in rural areas. For Sinn Fein, the tallies were showing that pushing beyond the party's 8.9 per cent share in the general election was achievable. The mood among the Fine Gael activists grew more sombre as the morning wore on as the realisation dawned that Gay Mitchell would finish third from bottom in a constituency where the party had secured almost 40 per cent of first preferences in the general election last February. Local TD Regina Doherty joined the tally mid-morning but was soon back in the world of day-to-day politics. "I've got a clinic at noon - but I'll be back later," she said. Come back she did, but by then there was no comeback for Gay Mitchell. The result was a foregone conclusion by lunchtime as the tallies were confirmed by the official figures of the first count. Michael D Higgins topped the poll with 38.1 per cent followed by Sean Gallagher (32.2%), Martin McGuinness (11.7%), David Norris (6.7%), Gay Mitchell (6.3%), Mary Davis ( 2.8%), and Dana Rosemary Scallon (2.3%). At this stage, most of the party activists were long gone. Labour had gone to celebrate. "It's a great day for Michael D and the local campaign team," said Deputy Hannigan. The departing Sean Gallagher supporters were ruing the failure of his advisers to adequately prepare their candidate for that 'Frontline' performance. The Fine Gael camp was stunned by the result. "It's very disappointing," said local director of elections, Kieran Coleman. Others were more forthright and claimed the party decision-makers had got it wrong. "Gay Mitchell is a great politician but was not a good presidential candidate," said one. Some wondered if the party had fallen victim to the notorious volatility of voters in the commuter belt and had gone 'from hero to zero' in the space of eight months. Deputy Doherty denied the outcome was the result of a backlash against the Fine Gael led government. "On a human level, I really feel for Gay Mitchell and his family today - I know what it's like to lose an election and it's not nice. I don't think the result was mass rejection of government policies but I think the party needs to reflect on its election strategy," she said. Sinn Fein's Jim Gallagher said he was very pleased at the showing for Martin McGuinness. "The vote increased, especially in the Kells and north Meath areas," he commented. The referendum on judges' pay was carried by a majority of more than 4:1, while the referendum on Oireachtas Committees was defeated by a margin of 1,705 votes.