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Three Big Macs please...
27.02.11
THE people of
Donegal North East have ordered and have been served
up three Big Macs. Let us now hope the result with
be a Happy Meal that will go some way towards easing
the indigestion of the past few years...
INISHOWEN is today celebrating the historic election
of two TDs with Pádraig MacLochlainn from Buncrana
and Charlie McConalogue from Gleneely set to take
their seats in the 31st Dáil. Sitting TD, Joe McHugh
was, as predicted, also returned to Leinster House.
Donegal North East is now the constituency of 'the
Three Macs' and, as the wits might have it, all
three can rightly claim to be Big Macs. Lofty
deputies McHugh and McConalogue, might claim the
meaty title on height alone while the indefatigable
Deputy MacLochlainn can hold aloft the
constituency's 2011 poll topper title.
McConalogue's late-night election was a rare boost
for Fianna Fáil on a day that saw an unprecedented
collapse in the once-mighty party's vote.
MacLochlainn's elevation from councillor to TD was
never in doubt from the moment the ballot boxes were
opened at the Aura leisure centre in Letterkenny.
But McHugh, from Carrigart and McConalogue had to
wait a further 15 hours and 17 hours, respectively,
for the declaration of their victories. |
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Pádraig MacLochlainn |
Joe McHugh |
Charlie McConalogue |
The atmosphere at the
Donegal North East election count was somewhat
lack-lustre throughout Saturday as the vast hall
appeared to devour the atmospherics. The crowd, kept
going with oceans of tea, coffee and the remains of
campaign adrenalin, hung on the every utterance of
returning officer, Geraldine O'Connor. There was a
frisson too, when news filtered in from the John
Bosco Centre of Tánaiste Mary Coughlan's shock
demise in Donegal South West after an unbroken
24-year Dáil tenure.
The people of Donegal North East now have three
young men to represent them in the Dáil. The eldest
of the trio, Joe McHugh, will celebrate his
milestone 40th birthday this July; Pádraig
MacLochlainn is 37 and Charlie McConalogue is 33.
All three men were delighted with their wins after
an exhausting election campaign that must have felt
like a lifetime.
"We all worked together and we all got the vote out.
I'm delighted that it all came off," said the
Gleneely man, thanking the Donegal FF grassroots
supporters and canvassers.
"Sinn Féin is the largest political party now in
Donegal and it's a clear message from the people of
Donegal that they are tired of the old politics,
tired of unemployment, tired of emigration and tired
of broken promises," said Deputy MacLochlainn.
Joe McHugh said the people of Donegal North East
wanted their public representatives to listen to how
they feel the country should be run. "They are
looking to the future and I picked up a sense of
belief that change will come and it's up to us now
to do that," he said.
To view the election results for Donegal North East
click here . |
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