A day-long recount between two outgoing Fine Gael deputies from neighbouring counties for the fifth and final seat in the Cavan-Monaghan constituency came down in favour of Mr Seymour Crawford yesterday.
The recount was sought by former the Cavan-based TD Mr Andrew Boylan, whose 9,044 votes were 121 below Mr Crawford's 9,165.
Mr Crawford was deemed elected without reaching the quota of 10,308 on the 12th count on Sunday morning. However, following yesterday's recount Mr Crawford gained 20 votes to stretch his lead to 141.
Mr Boylan's supporters found it difficult to accept on Sunday that Mr Crawford, based in the Monaghan end of the constituency, was able to pick up 1,463 transfers from a third Cavan-based Fine Gael candidate, Mr Paddy O'Reilly, who was eliminated. Mr Boylan gained 3,139 transfers from Mr O'Reilly, but 1,108 of Mr O'Reilly's votes were non-transferable.
Fears of some major discrepancies in the transfers prompted Mr Boylan to seek the recount.
However, as the bundles of ballot papers were scrutinised by the candidates and their legal advisers yesterday, no errors emerged to change the outcome.
Mr Crawford, a farmer from Aghabog, said he was relieved to have retained his seat but saddened by the departure of his party colleague, Mr Boylan, and the loss of the second FG seat.
It was ironic, he said, that Fine Gael should have lost a seat to a candidate, Mr Paudge Connolly, who had entered the race to highlight the Government's downgrading of Monaghan General Hospital. "The success of the hospital candidate, Paudge Connolly, should have been at the expense of Fianna Fáil and not Fine Gael", he said. Mr Boylan said he was very disappointed.
"It was disastrous for me and for Fine Gael in Cavan that more than 1,100 of O'Reilly's votes were non-transferable," he said.