PoliticsAnalysis

How did immigration-focused candidates fare in the elections?

Those who criticised immigration policy will not control any councils but still marshalled thousands of first-preference votes

The count centre at the RDS in Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Jack Horgan-Jones's picture
Jack Horgan-Jones
Sun Jun 09 2024 - 19:23

Candidates who focused on immigration were unlikely to form a large part of local government after these elections but looked set to make some gains after the issue was put on the ballot paper as never before.

While those who emphasised criticism of immigration policy above other issues will not control any councils and were often eclipsed by established parties, they still marshalled many thousands of first preference votes across the country, with several far-right or anti-immigration parties putting extensive lists of candidates before the electorate.

Though many such candidates and parties fell flat, some remained in the hunt for seats as counts continued across the weekend, and there were also successes for those who had spoken at protests against refugee and asylum seeker accommodation or had outlined their opposition to the opening of centres.

Malachy Steenson, the Independent candidate in Dublin’s North Inner City who was prominent in the first protests against migrant accommodation in the East Wall area, was elected to Dublin City Council on the 12th count on Sunday afternoon. He took 915 first preference votes, accounting for 8.9 per cent of the total.

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In the Ballymun-Finglas area, which also saw significant protests beginning in early 2023, Independent candidate Gavin Pepper polled 1,126 first preference votes to leave him in the running for a seat as counting continued on Sunday.

After the eighth count, Mr Pepper was in third place in a six-seater, while the National Party’s Stephen Redmond took 930 first preferences in the same area. Both benefited from the distribution of anti-immigration Independent candidate Leon Bradley’s vote.

Ross Lahive, who was prominent in protests against LGBTQ+ reading material at Cork City library, was in a battle with Sinn Féin and People Before Profit in Cork City North West, having taken 724 first preference votes.

In Fermoy, the founder of Ireland First Derek Blighe, who was also running in the Ireland South MEP race, got 899 first preferences. Mr Blighe, who has been described in the Dáil as a far-right agitator, was eliminated on the sixth count.

Stephen Kerr was not elected to Mayo County Council after taking 899 first preferences in Castlebar

In Galway, Seamus Walsh, a former Fianna Fáil councillor who left the party after a row over an immigrant accommodation centre, was elected in Connemara North on the second count with 1,525 first preference votes, or 19.2 per cent of the total ballot.

Philip Dwyer, the self-described citizen journalist who has travelled to multiple protests at accommodation centres around the country, polled poorly in Tallaght Central, taking 556 votes and was looking unlikely to be elected on Sunday.

Stephen Kerr, who has criticised the level of immigration and is the founder of the online media outlet the Irish Inquiry, was not elected to Mayo County Council after taking 899 first preferences in Castlebar.

Independent candidate John Snell, who had said plans to house international protection applicants in Newtownmountkennedy had left the local community feeling they were being steamrolled, was elected on the first count in Wicklow.

Meanwhile, John Larkin, an Independent candidate who supported protests against the accommodation centre, was still in the hunt for a seat on Wicklow County Council on Sunday evening after outpolling both Sinn Féin candidates on first preference votes.

At a European level, candidates who have criticised the Government on immigration issues were expected to be in the hunt for seats in all three European Parliament constituencies. Niall Boylan in Dublin and Ciarán Mullooly in Midlands North West for Independent Ireland, and Independent TD Michael McNamara in Ireland South were all expected to be in the reckoning as votes are counted in the coming days.