Part of the 2014 Irish local elections
2014 Wicklow County Council election
Area of Wicklow County Council
An election to all 32 seats on Wicklow County Council took place on 23 May 2014 as part of the 2014 Irish local elections , an increase from 24 seats at the 2009 election . In addition, the town councils of Arklow , Bray , Greystones and Wicklow were all abolished. County Wicklow was divided into five local electoral areas (LEAs) to elect councillors for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).
Independents proved to be the biggest winners in the elections, gaining 7 seats to return to the council with 10 members. Sinn Féin gained 4 additional seats on the council, leaving them with 6 councillors in total. The additional seats helped to insulate Fine Gael from significant seat losses and they remained the largest party despite losing a seat overall. Fianna Fáil gained 3 seats overall to return with 7 members and though they had more first preference votes than Fine Gael, they won 1 less seat overall. Several of the successful Independents such as Joe Behan , Christopher Fox and Jim Ruttle had former Fianna Fáil connections. The Labour Party polled disastrously in the election and were wiped out in what had been one of their former strongholds, losing all 6 seats. Outgoing councillor and outgoing chairman, Jimmy O'Shaughnessy also lost his seat in the election. O'Shaughnessy was a former Labour member. However, 2 former Labour councillors, Tom Fortune and Tommy Cullen, were returned as Independents.
It was also notable that none of the mayors of the town councils were elected. Mick Glynn (FG; Bray), Malcolm Earls (FG; Wicklow) and Peter Dempsey (Ind; Arklow) all failed to be elected, while George Jones (FG; Greystones) retired after serving over 40 years as a Town Councillor and County Councillor.
Results by local electoral area [ edit ]
^ *: Outgoing councillor.
^ †: Outgoing councillor elected in 2009 in the Wicklow LEA for Labour ; contesting both Arklow and Wicklow LEAs.
Arklow: 6 seats
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Fianna Fáil
Pat Fitzgerald [*]
20.55
1,937
Fianna Fáil
Pat Kennedy
16.46
1,552
Fianna Fáil
Tommy Annesley
9.16
864
1,130
1,181
1,186
1,232
1,298
1,380
Fine Gael
Sylvester Bourke [*]
11.53
1,087
1,132
1,156
1,158
1,179
1,243
1,370
Independent
Miriam Murphy
6.31
595
651
669
691
747
815
933
949
1,233
1,245
Sinn Féin
Mary McDonald
7.91
746
776
787
811
853
872
972
976
1,088
1,092
Independent
Tom Curran
7.0
660
690
703
731
766
807
892
902
1,075
1,082
Independent
Peter Dempsey
6.54
617
692
695
703
767
813
850
853
Independent
Jimmy O'Shaughnessy[†]
6.55
618
629
699
714
743
768
Labour
Mary Mooty
3.42
322
350
355
359
376
Independent
Nicky Kelly [*]
3.0
283
322
329
349
Direct Democracy
Brian Whelan
1.03
97
102
104
Independent
Charlie Keddy
0.53
50
55
56
Electorate: 16,752 Valid: 9,428 (56.28%) Spoilt: 104 Quota: 1,347 Turnout: 9,532 (56.90%)
Baltinglass: 6 seats
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Independent
Tommy Cullen [*]
16.90
1,802
Sinn Féin
Gerry O'Neill
14.45
1,541
Independent
Jim Ruttle [*]
14.42
1,538
Fine Gael
Edward Timmins [*]
11.95
1,274
1,374
1,381
1,402
1,405
1,411
1,434
1,513
1,850
Fine Gael
Vincent Blake [*]
11.66
1,244
1,255
1,258
1,285
1,285
1,285
1,389
1,402
1,468
Fianna Fáil
Pat Doran [*]
9.98
1,064
1,086
1,086
1,115
1,115
1,116
1,162
1,305
1,324
Sinn Féin
Aidan Kinsella
6.09
650
685
689
716
723
724
792
823
840
Fine Gael
Lorcan McMahon
5.45
581
596
603
611
615
618
627
723
Fianna Fáil
Joe McCormac
3.81
406
439
446
456
458
460
473
Independent
Kevin Byrne
2.51
268
287
312
380
381
382
Independent
Jillian Godsil
1.81
193
214
250
Independent
Dominic Plant
0.68
73
90
Independent
Charlie Keddy
0.29
31
36
Electorate: 18,501 Valid: 10,665 (57.65%) Spoilt: 123 Quota: 1,524 Turnout: 10,788 (58.31%)
Bray: 8 seats
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Sinn Féin
John Brady [*]
16.95
2,142
Independent
Joe Behan
12.11
1,516
Independent
Christopher Fox [*]
11.85
1,484
Sinn Féin
Oliver O'Brien
5.39
675
1,163
1,205
1,210
1,214
1,222
1,254
1,271
1,283
1,309
1,314
1,336
1,341
1,541
Independent
Brendan Thornhill
6.55
820
843
896
903
912
947
964
1,004
1,013
1,102
1,138
1,217
1,298
1,498
Green
Steven Matthews
6.01
752
768
791
797
799
813
826
847
865
888
953
1,073
1,163
1,302
1,346
1,381
Fine Gael
John Ryan [*]
4.71
590
594
607
617
617
620
624
634
647
656
851
942
1,312
1,339
1,347
1,358
Fianna Fáil
Pat Vance [*]
5.41
677
691
720
729
731
737
743
755
767
786
816
860
942
974
986
998
Fianna Fáil
David Grant
5.12
641
665
722
728
729
732
744
760
771
799
814
853
921
970
976
989
People Before Profit
Sharon Briggs
4.47
560
638
667
673
676
703
750
770
783
817
834
881
907
Fine Gael
Mick Glynn[*]
4.39
550
560
580
588
589
592
595
607
615
630
746
842
Labour
Ronan McManus
3.58
448
461
481
487
490
497
500
513
623
639
677
Fine Gael
Sarah Wray
3.93
492
498
505
515
517
519
521
529
554
565
Independent
Barry Nevin[*]
1.65
207
224
225
250
254
271
288
318
322
Labour
Tracy O'Brien
1.76
220
231
240
243
244
244
247
251
Independent
Eugene Finnegan
1.34
168
185
211
217
221
232
246
Independent
Catherine Hannon-Kennedy
1.16
145
162
179
182
189
198
Independent
Seay Ledwidge
1.0
126
133
142
146
154
Independent
Charlie Keddy
0.39
49
54
59
61
Electorate: 23,347 Valid: 12,522 (53.63%) Spoilt: 148 Quota: 1,392 Turnout: 12,670 (54.27%)
Greystones: 6 seats
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Independent
Jennifer Whitmore
27.44
2,328
Independent
Tom Fortune [*]
14.64
1,242
Fine Gael
Derek Mitchell [*]
9.56
811
931
941
944
975
1,006
1,111
1,145
1,278
Fine Gael
Gráinne McLoughlin [*]
7.46
633
755
771
774
808
851
922
960
1,167
1,215
Fianna Fáil
Gerry Walsh
7.45
632
732
747
749
755
806
827
1,043
1,068
1,074
1,110
Sinn Féin
Nicola Lawless
8.08
686
757
796
800
823
840
847
882
896
897
1,090
Green
Niall Byrne
3.58
304
462
480
483
542
555
578
611
668
676
800
People Before Profit
Jacqui Johnston
3.88
329
452
490
495
516
532
547
577
591
593
Fine Gael
Liz Dillon
3.65
310
405
411
412
442
454
511
532
Fianna Fáil
James Doyle
3.83
325
380
393
395
410
478
505
Fine Gael
David O'Reilly
3.36
283
345
349
350
369
383
Fianna Fáil
Taragh Hanley
2.82
239
295
302
304
306
Labour
Ian McGahon
2.22
188
273
283
286
Independent
Charlie Keddy
2.10
178
243
Electorate: 16,531 Valid: 8,485 (51.33%) Spoilt: 81 Quota: 1,213 Turnout: 8,566 (51.82%)
Wicklow: 6 seats
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Sinn Féin
John Snell [*]
15.33
1,577
Independent
Dáire Nolan
11.26
1,159
1,162
1,169
1,170
1,176
1,180
1,191
1,196
1,266
1,281
1,317
1,370
1,394
1,468
1,475
Fianna Fáil
Pat Casey [*]
11.20
1,152
1,157
1,161
1,162
1,166
1,173
1,176
1,190
1,197
1,218
1,238
1,301
1,320
1,342
1,404
Fine Gael
Shay Cullen
9.85
1,013
1,016
1,022
1,024
1,025
1,035
1,039
1,048
1,061
1,076
1,095
1,156
1,212
1,224
1,330
Fine Gael
Irene Winters [*]
7.47
769
772
772
776
777
794
799
830
834
864
888
930
1,024
1,072
1,328
Independent
Pat Kavanagh
5.19
534
538
543
556
573
587
625
637
655
702
825
880
930
1,109
1,200
Fianna Fáil
Gail Dunne
6.87
707
711
712
715
722
724
729
752
757
775
799
824
885
947
1,082
Fine Gael
Malcolm Earls
5.27
542
547
550
555
560
569
572
595
598
623
647
685
789
827
Sinn Féin
Garrett O'Reilly
4.63
476
519
522
531
542
549
573
580
615
635
666
708
761
Labour
Paul O'Brien
4.05
417
424
426
428
432
453
460
471
479
498
543
580
Independent
Jimmy O'Shaughnessy[†]
3.98
409
422
425
431
437
447
456
471
477
508
539
Independent
John Goodman
3.72
383
386
387
390
397
404
417
426
435
457
Independent
Gerry Kinsella
2.40
247
252
258
265
269
281
294
302
307
Éirígí
Seán Doyle
1.79
184
186
189
191
195
196
217
219
Independent
Mervyn Morrison
1.69
174
175
175
176
180
190
193
People Before Profit
Anna Doyle
1.60
165
167
168
172
174
187
Green
Paul Leahy
1.56
161
161
161
166
170
Independent
Michael Mulvihill
0.86
88
91
93
94
94
Direct Democracy
Norman Phillips
0.71
73
74
76
Independent
Charlie Keddy
0.57
59
59
Electorate: 18,303 Valid: 10,289 (56.21%) Spoilt: 91 Quota: 1,470 Turnout: 10,380 (56.71%)
Following the elections, the Fine Gael group with 8 councillors, the Fianna Fáil group with 7 councillors and an independent technical group of 4 councillors came together to become the "official/government" side of the council, while the Sinn Féin group with 6 councillors, the Green Party councillor and an independent technical group of 5 councillors formed the "opposition" side of the council. One independent councillor refused to join either side and remained on his own.
Following the election, at the first Annual General Meeting of the council, Christopher Fox (Independent) was elected Cathaoirleach (chairman) of the council. John Ryan (Fine Gael) was elected as Leas-Cathaoirleach (Vice-chairman) of the council.
The "control" of the council was a rainbow coalition of Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil/Independent. The opposition side consisted of Sinn Féin/Green Party/Independent.
Changes in affiliation [ edit ]