THERE WAS HALF an hour of chaos and pandemonium in the RDS this afternoon as Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch arrived to check in on the count and wish his competition, Labour’s Marie Sherlock good luck.
It was a nail bitter of a count for the final seat in Dublin Central this afternoon as the Labour senator slowly began to edge over the veteran criminal.
Last night, as the first day of counting drew to a close the patriarch of the Hutch family was well and truly in contention to take the fourth seat in Dublin Central, but things swung in Sherlock’s direction this afternoon as the surpluses of Gary Gannon and Paschal Donohoe were distributed.
Gerry Hutch has arrived at the RDS count centre 📹 @janeematthews pic.twitter.com/qTcu0SaX8w
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) December 1, 2024
Shortly before the 11th count was announced there was a scurry from the media tables in the corner of the RDS as word trickled through that the Monk had landed.
What ensued was a frantic half hour as the gangland figure, encircled by security and a throng of cameras and reporters, made his way towards one of the count areas.
Various counts have been ongoing in the RDS over the last two days, with the cavernous venue a hub for tally people, national and international media, hopeful candidates and their supporters.
Security staff struggled to control the situation as a tight-lipped Hutch refused to answer most questions from the media.
“There’s never a guard around when you need one,” he said with a smile as he worked his way across the room.
Asked why he had attended the count centre, he replied: “What do you think? This is a joke, this is a circus.”
After a few minutes standing watching the count take place, Hutch made his way slowly over towards Sherlock, still circled by the media scrum.
On the way, he passed by Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan – Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on Justice who will have his eyes on becoming the country’s next Justice Minister – who was speaking to reporters immediately following his re-election in Dublin Bay South.
Asked about Hutch’s arrival at the RDS, O’Callaghan, a barrister and senior counsel, said he didn’t want to personalise things, but it would have sent out a “negative message” about Ireland as Hutch can be seen passing by in the background.
Sherlock, who was surrounded by her family and supporters looked surprised to see Hutch approach.
The pair shook hands and wished each other luck, exchanging a few words before Hutch made his way to the door.
Speaking to The Journal immediately afterwards afterwards, Sherlock said Hutch was “very gracious” in what he said to her.
Asked what she made of the chaos that surrounded his arrival at the count centre, Sherlock said “that’s just the way it is in terms of the media interest”.
“But this has been the reality in Dublin Central, we’ve had a lot of media coverage of some big names and no actual conversation of what’s happening on the ground. And that’s what our campaign has been about,” Sherlock said.
Labour’s Marie Sherlock takes the final seat in Dublin Central after a tight contest with Gerry Hutch @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/4p6E5QbtdG
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) December 1, 2024
Just minutes later she won the seat as Hutch jogged his way through the RDS car park and out onto the main road, with journalists in pursuit.
Asked if he would run again he said: “I’d consider it”.
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