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Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

Sinn Féin set to be biggest party on Dublin City Council

The party will go from five seats to being the largest party on the capital’s local authority.

SINN FÉIN LOOKS set to make massive gains on Dublin City Council.

The party currently has five seats on the council, but will see that rise after claiming seats in almost every ward of the authority.

Most notable is the Cabra-Finglas constituency, where they look set to pick up three seats, with Seamus McGrattan, Anthony Connaghan and Emma Murphy all claiming seats. That will be mirrored in Finglas, with Noeleen Reilly and Cathleen Carney both set to take seats.

In Ballyfermot-Drimnagh, Daithi Doolan has 19% of first preferences according to tallies, which may be enough for him to bring Gregory Kelly over the line. Kelly’s 7.7% of the vote means the party took ver one in every four votes cast.

In Clontarf, Ciaran O’Moore looks set to take a seat, gathering 10% of votes.

In the North Inner City, Sinn Féin could take three seats of the six available, with Janice Boylan, Gaye Fagan and Jonathan Dowdall all in the top six. Interestingly, independent councillor Christy Burke, a former Sinn Féin councillor, will also be elected.

In Crumlin-Kimmage, Criona Ni Dhalaigh and Ray McHugh both look likely to take seats, coming in first and second, respectively.

In the Beaumont-Donaghmede nine-seater, the party looks likely to take a third of the seats, with Larry O’Toole, Mícheál MacDonncha and Denise Mitchell all polling strongly.

In Pembroke-South Dock, Chris Andrews’ high-profile defection from Fianna Fáil will be met with success, with the Andrews dynasty member topping the poll.

In Rathmines-Rathgar, Dominic MacConraí is in contention, but it will be a tight race.

If MacConraí is elected, he currently sits fifth in a six-seater, it will mean that all of Sinn Féin’s candidates for Dublin City Council would be successful.

This would leave them the biggest single party on the council on 18 seats, with independents the second most represented among the 63 seats.

LIVEBLOG: Local election results 2014

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93 Comments
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    Mute Pius Flynn
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:06 PM

    I hope she never sees the light of day again

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:09 PM

    The sickening thing is , she will .

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    Mute alwaysrightokay
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 9:14 PM

    Will she even do time I wonder

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    Mute TheCredibleHulk
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 9:19 PM

    I doubt it. It’ll be a Suspended sentence

    50
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    Mute Johnneary
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 10:42 PM

    This is Ireland.
    She’ll most likely, get a fully furnished new house to add to her previous portfolio of 3.
    A new car.
    A raise in her benefits.
    New clothes.
    And hundreds of thousands of Euro in medical and counselling expenses.

    51
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    Mute Nicola Long
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:08 PM

    This woman does not deserve to call herself a mother. She’s nothing but a disgusting human. Fair play to those kids for going through with this case and sorry to hear this was allowed to carry on for so long.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:50 PM

    How did she get bail? Vile human being, I hope she gets a proper sentence and the kids get the love and help they need.

    88
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    Mute Greg O'Riordan
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:30 PM

    How could this continue over time without something being done? Neighbours aware, school aware of issues. What did social services do here? This is madness.

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    Mute John Hazelnut
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 10:30 PM

    Yes, Greg, I wonder what Social Services did here, and what the ISPCC did here, too.

    It seems to just have been allowed to continue for 5 years.

    It’s astounding, with Child Abuse supposedly being taken so seriously.

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    Mute Cupid Stunt
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:19 PM

    I can’t understand what makes someone do that to kids, any kids. I just hope that they get the love and attention that they deserve now as young adults.

    155
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    Mute Alan O'connor
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:11 PM

    Her defense team? Who paid for that I wonder?

    Where is/are the father(s)?

    How is this tolerated in the 21st century?

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    Mute Ciaran Coye
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:33 PM

    She may not even know who the fathers are.

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    Mute Serena O'Hora
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:06 PM

    Disgusting! Poor children, God love them

    117
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    Mute Tweeter
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:14 PM

    Why didn’t the neighbours report her?

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    Mute Sinead Laird
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:12 PM

    What a twisted bitch

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    Mute Al Ca
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:35 PM

    I heard some of the mothers defence evidence reported on the radio today in relation to the two boys having their hair pulled out by her…….

    “She said the boys were exaggerating, yes, she said, she had to hold them forcibly in a headlock and it took some power to force the neck of the Fairy washing liquid bottle past their clenched teeth as they struggled and won’t allow her to pour the washing up liquid in their mouths because they said a rude word but she didn’t pull out clumps of hair”

    That was her defence on that charge alone.
    She didn’t see anything wrong with it, that was her defence………What an evil woman.

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    Mute Aoife McCarrick
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:28 PM

    She is evil, I hope that she never gets out.

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    Mute Sinead
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 9:56 PM

    It wasn’t just her that failed the children, why were they left in her care for so long, why did it take so long to bring her to court?

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    Mute anthony campion
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 11:13 PM

    Why was there a delay of 5 years from when social services got involved until the kids were taken from this vile evil woman

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    Mute Peter Murray
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 11:03 PM

    The poor kids. I hope they can go on to lead normal happy lives.

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    Mute john truman
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 10:59 PM

    This evil piece of sc#m should be fed on bread and water for the rest of her miserable life

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    Mute Joe Hill
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:14 PM

    I hope she gets the help she needs, and for the children’s sake that she is able to establish a normal relationship with them in time.

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    Mute Sinead Laird
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:23 PM

    Joe, I would say that the relationship is way beyond repair.

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    Mute Colin Moran
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:26 PM

    ‘The help she needs’?!! Are you for real Joe?
    Why is every perpetrator of horrific crimes given the tag of ‘victim’? Some people are just evil, nasty, deplorable animals and should be disposed of.

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    Mute Lily
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:35 PM

    After witnessing first hand similar events above I can say from my own experience that forgiveness comes in time. May be a few years, may take decades, the child will still want to be loved / accepted by the parent. They may have a chance at a relationship of some sort depending on the child or no relationship at all depending on the child. The child will also feel a degree of guilt and responsibility even though the child is 100% innocent the guilt is still there.

    The child’s want/need to be loved and wanted is huge if they can get that of the fosters career they may never look for their mothers love, but if they are shipped from home to home and only used by the foster career for money (some foster careers not all) then I feel the child future will be hard.

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    Mute William Boyd
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:41 PM

    Exactly Colin some people are beyond help, evil will always be evil unfortunately the human race churns out the odd one every now and then, and unfortunately that evil can spawn innocent children.

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    Mute Brendan McCaffrey
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 11:14 PM

    Well said

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    Mute Noel Kelly
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    Jan 22nd 2016, 8:06 PM

    Poor kids

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