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Count centre for the Meath East constituency.

How FG tried and failed to keep two outgoing ministers in one constituency

Doherty’s party colleague Helen McEntee was re-elected.

IT WAS ALWAYS going to be a battle to keep two outgoing ministers in their Dáil seat in Meath East once the Sinn Féin surge started making waves – on the sixth count this evening Regina Doherty became the latest casualty of it. 

The outgoing social protection minister was nowhere to be seen as early morning tallies showed support for the outgoing junior minister for European Affairs, Helen McEntee, was streets ahead of her.  

By mid-afternoon, her own campaign team itself called it quits and left the Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA club where the count was being held. 

The Sinn Féin surge sweeping in across the country put candidate Darren O’Rourke out in front. 

O’Rourke was first past the post and elected on the second count this evening and follows his previous failed bid for a Dáil seat in 2016. 

The fallout of his success meant Doherty and McEntee were fighting for the remaining two seats that Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne was also eyeing up.

Byrne managed to hold on to his seat meaning just one of the two former ministers had a shot at returning to the Dáil. 

During the election campaign, McEntee was front and centre of Fine Gael’s “Brexit is only at half-time” election campaign and today appeared to reap the reward of that. 

Unlike here colleague, she was present for almost all counts – the last of which was held at around midnight, when she was elected. 

On the seventh count in Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA club this evening, she was deemed elected with 12,984 votes, including transfers.

She was elected in the count immediately after that which Doherty was eliminated in, meaning much of Doherty’s transfers went to her. 

McEntee described her disappointment for her colleague saying “alot of friends and colleagues have lost their seats so of course I am relieved to be keeping mine”.

“I am sorry for my colleague Regina Doherty who has not been elected, we’ve worked hard the two of us over the past couple of years but obviously the Sinn Féin rise meant that the ability to retain two seats in a three-seater constituency just became very difficult.”

But it was Darren O’Rourke for Sinn Féin, however, that was the big winner in this constituency, taking the first seat in Meath East – a seat likely to have been reserved for Doherty if it were not for the Sinn Féin surge of late. 

Joined by the the Sinn Féin deputy leader, Michelle O’Neill, O’Rourke was elected on the second count, with O’Neill commenting from the count centre, “I think the voters have spoken, the voters have come out and voted for change and we heard what they had to say and we’re determined to deliver.”

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute nimchimpsky
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:13 PM

    How many weed plants can I grow in there?

    140
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    Mute the asian nightmare
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:18 PM

    74

    76
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    Mute nimchimpsky
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:27 PM

    What if I take out the bunk beds?

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    Mute the asian nightmare
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:29 PM

    86

    82
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    Mute nimchimpsky
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:37 PM

    How much would I get for 91 bunk beds?

    48
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    Mute nimchimpsky
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:46 PM

    And what are you charging in auctioneer fees?

    33
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    Mute Not_Rod_Ten©
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:20 PM

    The tv licence man would still get you.

    94
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    Mute The Girl
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:38 PM

    Or Irish Water

    42
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    Mute brian magee
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    Feb 11th 2016, 4:03 PM

    In ballymena?

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    Mute Paddy Ryan
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    Feb 11th 2016, 5:10 PM

    It would be perfect for Willie Frazer to hide out from the “Fenian looking people” !!!!

    33
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    Mute Karl Foley
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:49 PM

    No need for it. Just take your free Iodine tablet. Sorted.

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    Mute Mark Malone
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:23 PM

    The wife would never go for it……..pity.

    “Just popping out for milk love, I’ll just lock you in to be safe.”

    73
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    Mute Neil Cullen
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    Feb 11th 2016, 4:07 PM

    The state of that house in Donnybrook – a poky little terraced 3-bed with no boundary wall, 1 parking spot, no front garden, and a tiny back garden. Fur coat & no knickers. Imagine paying €750,000 for that, lol.

    67
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    Mute Tom
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    Feb 11th 2016, 4:44 PM

    Dublin prices are bunkers.

    51
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    Mute Anton Friendo
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:20 PM

    Its nucular

    49
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    Mute Ted Murray
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:50 PM

    They obviously didn’t give a toss about Northern Ireland, only giving thirty days. I bet those folks in London would have still been laughing their heads off in their proper nuclear bunker, twenty years after the NI contingent had all died of radiation sickness.

    34
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    Mute David Maguire
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:20 PM

    Would make a nice office space for business start ups

    34
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    Mute Dot Com
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:22 PM

    Not much news on the political front today is Hugh off.

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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:51 PM

    Probably coaching Enda..

    31
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    Mute Paul Culligan
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:51 PM

    Lock the entire Irish Political System in it and fcuk the key away.

    26
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    Mute mcgoo
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    Feb 11th 2016, 4:33 PM

    The shinners next hq.

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    Mute alpha_chaarlie
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    Feb 11th 2016, 6:00 PM

    I’d pay £575,000 to not have to live in Donnybrook

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:13 PM

    Jeasus its horrible!

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    Mute the asian nightmare
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    Feb 11th 2016, 3:17 PM

    True but the bunker isn’t exactly easy on the eye either.

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    Mute Joey Gee
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    Feb 11th 2016, 5:38 PM

    You could but, would you? Learning Ballymena is impossible, seriously!

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    Mute Juan Carr
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    Feb 11th 2016, 6:01 PM

    Sin Fein should appropriate it through the clean Slab.

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    Mute Rashers Tierney
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    Feb 11th 2016, 6:46 PM

    Juan Carr, by name and nature.

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Feb 11th 2016, 7:41 PM

    …..er! has it got the famous iodine tablets?

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