SENATOR MARTIN CONWAY (FG) has been re-elected to the Upper House while Ann Marie Flanagan (IND) fell short in her election bid.
As it stands, Conway is the only Clare Senator following the conclusion of counting on all five panels. Taoiseach Micheál Martin (FF) has yet to announce his eleven nominations to Seanad Éireann.
Conway was elected on the tenth count, taking the second of seven seats on offer in the Administrative Panel. He polled 79,000 first preferences, a reduction on the 90,000 he amassed in 2020.
Ennistymon native Martin said, “I am absolutely delighted to be re-elected for another term in Seanad Éireann. Thank you to the councillors and Oireachtas members who supported me. I’m looking forward to the next term”.
First elected to the Seanad in 2011, Conway has now been elected to the Upper House on four occasions. He served as a county councillor from 2004 to 2011. He contested the 2020 General Election but was eliminated on the sixth count, he polled 2,285 first preference votes.
He was nominated as a Fine Gael candidate in advance of November’s General Election but withdrew prior to the selection convention when he stated he felt it would be better for the party to have a one-candidate strategy.
There was no such celebrations for fellow Ennistymon native Ann Marie Flanagan who was eliminated on the sixth count. She had 26,000 votes following the first count but didn’t receive sufficient transfers to claim one of the seven seats on the Administrative Panel.
A co-founder of the Clare Leader Forum, Flanagan was nominated to contest the election by Independent Living Movement Ireland, the nominating body also put her forward in 2020.
