2014 Carlow County Council election

An election in County Carlow to Carlow County Council took place on 23 May 2014 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 18 councillors were elected from two local electoral areas for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

2014 Carlow County Council election
23 May 2014
All 18 seats on Carlow County Council
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin
Seats won 6 5 3
Seat change −4 +1 +3
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Party Labour Independent
Seats won 2 2
Seat change −3 —
Map showing the area of Carlow County Council
Cathaoirleach before election

Des Hurley
Lab

 Subsequent Cathaoirleach

Fergal Browne
FG

Administrative changes

Carlow County Council had been allocated 21 seats under the Local Government Act 2001.[1] In November 2012, Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, appointed a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee to review the allocation of seats and the local electoral areas across local authorities. In the case of Carlow County Council, it recommended an decrease to 18 seats.[2] In addition, the town councils of Carlow and Muinebheag were abolished. This was implemented by the Local Government Reform Act 2014.[3] County Carlow was redrawn into two electoral areas, a reduction from five.[4]

Results by party
Party Seats ± First Pref. votes FPv% ±%
Fine Gael 6 −4 5,808 27.0
Fianna Fáil 5 +1 6,207 28.9
Sinn Féin 3 +3 2,723 12.7
Labour 2 −3 2,830 13.2
Independent 2 — 3,010 14.0
Totals 18 −3 100% —

Analysis

While Fine Gael remained the largest party after the election, in terms of seats though not in terms of vote share, they lost two-fifths of their councillors. Their colleagues in government, the Labour Party, lost three-fifths of their councillors being reduced to just 2 seats. Fianna Fáil gained a seat to return 5 members and reported a higher vote than Fine Gael but the big winners were Sinn Féin who won 3 seats to supplant Labour as the traditional third-largest party.

Results by local electoral area

Carlow
Carlow - 10 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
123456789101112131415
Fianna Fáil Jennifer Murnane O'Connor*[lower-alpha 1] 13.04 1,530                            
Fianna Fáil John Pender* 11.54 1,354                            
Sinn Féin John Cassin 9.18 1,077                            
Fine Gael Brian O'Donoghue 8.68 1,018 1,025 1,073                        
Fianna Fáil Fintan Phelan 8.62 1,011 1,128                          
Sinn Féin Jim Deane 7.18 842 878 900 902 908 909 917 940 961 981 1,042 1,174      
Fianna Fáil Ann Ahern née Long*[lower-alpha 1] 5.76 676 769 827 852 853 854 858 873 874 916 961 981 987 1,007 1,063
Independent Walter Lacey* 5.39 632 680 689 696 697 697 708 738 793 852 894 971 1,013 1,039 1,116
Labour William Paton* 5.20 610 617 694 695 695 697 699 704 712 738 794 818 828 1,022 1,046
Fine Gael Fergal Browne* 4.64 544 563 575 578 578 578 579 583 610 621 654 662 664 728 912
Fine Gael Wayne Fennell* 3.87 454 468 472 475 475 475 475 479 494 502 529 537 537 552  
Fine Gael Tom O'Neill* 3.52 413 436 439 444 445 445 446 454 461 489 522 532 533 568 686
Fine Gael Kathy Walsh 3.11 365 369 401 401 401 402 404 409 412 415 429 436 439    
Anti-Austerity Alliance Ned Costigan 2.47 290 301 306 307 308 309 315 366 385 391 402        
Labour Caroline Townsend* 2.40 281 309 317 323 323 323 325 331 337 391          
Labour Des Hurley* 1.90 223 256 258 260 260 260 265 270 282 282          
Independent Declan Alcock 1.64 192 202 206 209 209 209 216 224              
Direct Democracy Saoire O'Brien 1.41 166 173 175 177 177 177 182                
Independent Pat Finnerty 0.27 32 33 33 33 33 33 33                
Independent Conor Dowling 0.19 22 27 28 29 29 29 29                
Electorate: 23,431   Valid: 11,732 (50.07%)   Spoilt: 139   Quota: 1,067   Turnout: 11,871 (50.66%)  

    Muinebheag
    Muinebheag - 8 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123456789101112
    Independent Charlie Murphy* 14.14 1,377                      
    Fine Gael Tommy Kinsella* 11.60 1,130                      
    Labour Willie Quinn* 10.66 1,038 1,066 1,083                  
    Sinn Féin Andy Gladney 8.26 804 825 827 840 858 885 926 974 1,176      
    Fianna Fáil Arthur McDonald* 8.09 788 803 806 809 851 863 1,018 1,032 1,081 1,099    
    Fine Gael Michael Doran* 7.90 769 775 777 790 805 814 838 882 939 949 950 1,107
    Fine Gael John Murphy* 5.79 564 610 619 630 634 683 686 751 756 760 760 827
    Fine Gael Denis Foley* 5.66 551 564 570 578 620 629 664 683 727 747 752 824
    Fianna Fáil P.J. Kavanagh 5.05 492 536 538 566 567 598 634 668 701 711 712 777
    Labour Jim Townsend* 4.73 461 474 475 486 516 554 586 639 678 698 701  
    Anti-Austerity Alliance Christy Cormac 4.49 437 447 448 459 481 492 523 586        
    Fianna Fáil David O'Brien 3.66 356 367 368 376 399 407            
    Independent Matthew English-Hayden 3.42 333 356 357 390 395              
    Independent Billy Nolan 2.68 261 303 304 322 324 324            
    Labour Ken Hickey 2.23 217 220 220 222                
    Independent Liam Foley 1.37 133 150 151                  
    Independent Pat Finnerty 0.29 28 30 30                  
    Electorate: 17,599   Valid: 9,739 (55.46%)   Spoilt: 139   Quota: 1,083   Turnout: 9,878 (56.26%)  
      1. Resigned, see below for changes

      Changes
      Party Outgoing Electoral area Reason Date Co-optee
      Fianna Fáil Jennifer Murnane-O'Connor Carlow Elected to 25th Seanad in April 2016 9 June 2016 Ken Murnane[5]
      Fianna Fáil Anne Ahern Carlow Appointed school principal[6] 9 October 2017 Andrea Dalton[7]

      Local electoral areas

      Carlow County Council was divided into the two local electoral areas (LEAs), defined by electoral divisions.[4]

      LEA Electoral divisions Seats
      Carlow Ballinacarrig, Burton Hall, Carlow Rural, Carlow Urban, Graigue Urban and Johnstown. 10
      Muinebeag Agha, Ballintemple, Ballon, Ballyellin, Ballymoon, Ballymurphy, Borris, Clogrenan, Clonegall, Coonogue, Corries, Cranemore, Fennagh, Garryhill, Glynn, Kilbride, Killedmond, Kyle, Leighlinbridge, Marley, Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Rural, Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Urban, Myshall, Nurney, Oldleighlin, Rathanna, Rathornan, Rathrush, Ridge, Shangarry, Sliguff, Templepeter, Tinnahinch 8

      References
      1. Local Government Act 2001, 7th Sch.: Number of members of local authorities (No. 37 of 2001, 7th Sch.). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
      2. "Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report 2013" (PDF). Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. 29 May 2013. p. 23.
      3. Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 15: Number of members of local authorities (No. 1 of 2014, s. 15). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
      4. County of Carlow Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2014 (S.I. No. 40 of 2014). Signed on 31 January 2014 by Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
      5. Vaughan, MaryAnn (9 June 2016). "Carlow has a new Councillor and a new Seanad spokesperson today". KCLR 96FM.
      6. "Anne Ahern has announced her resignation from Carlow County Council". KCLR 96FM. 11 September 2017.
      7. "Carlow's newest councillor to take seat for the first time today". KCLR 96FM. 9 October 2017.

      Sources
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