The big story from the local elections in Fingal was Aontú making a breakthrough to secure two seats and the right-wing National Party having a councillor elected here for the first time.

It was a bruising weekend for the Green Party which lost all but one of its representatives, with David Healy holding on after a recount in Malahide/Howth. Labour had a good weekend, picking up an additional seat and the party now has seven councillors in Fingal.

Fine Gael also did well, gaining a seat in Swords, where it had not been represented for a decade, and also in Rush-Lusk where Eoghan Dockrell won a seat. However, the party will be disappointed to lose seats in Malahide-Howth and in Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart.

Fianna Fáil will be disappointed to lose its two seats in Rusk-Lusk, including that of Fingal mayor Adrian Henchy.

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This election saw two former TDs, Brendan Ryan of Labour in Balbriggan and Ruth Coppinger of People Before Profit-Solidarity in Castleknock, returning to elected politics.

Independents also did well with Tania Doyle, who last month was violently attacked while erecting election posters, topping the poll in Ongar. Dean Mulligan retained a seat for Independents4Change in Swords. Cathal Boland won a seat in Rush-Lusk while Tony Murphy was elected on the first count in Balbriggan. Jimmy Guerin was returned in Malahide-Howth.

Aontú secured its first seat in Fingal with Ellen Troy elected in Castleknock. It also took a second seat in Ongar via Gerard Sheehan. The Social Democrats won two seats with Joan Hopkins topping the poll in Howth-Malahide and Paul Mullville being returned in Rush-Lusk.

Labour was thrilled with its performance with Robert O’Donoghue securing a quota and a half and being elected on the first count in Rush-Lusk. His party colleague Corina Johnston will serve as a councillor in the same electoral area.

Sinn Féin held on to its four seats in Fingal, but the party had hopes of doing much better. It ran 15 candidates which, like elsewhere, proved to be too many.

The local election results throw up some interesting possibilities for the general election in a few months in a region which will see significant boundary changes.

Due to population growth the old five-seat Dublin North constituency – essentially the northern and eastern part of Fingal County Council area – is being broken up. There will now be two three seaters, Dublin Fingal East, which will include Swords, Malahide and Donabate, and Dublin Fingal West, which will cover areas such as Balbriggan and Skerries.

Independent Tony Murphy who topped the poll in Balbriggan could be in with a shout in Fingal West while Labour may fancy Robert O’Donoghue’s chances after his impressive first preference haul in Rush-Lusk. It had been assumed that Sinn Féin would turn to Swords-based Ann Graves to run in Fingal East. However, she lost her seat on Sunday night.

Balbriggan: 5 seats

Blanchardstown – Mulhuddart: 5 seats

Castleknock: 6 seats

Howth – Malahide: 7 seats

Ongar: 5 seats

Rush – Lusk: 5 seats

Swords: 7 seats

[ View 2019 Fingal County Council results ]

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