While Dublin Rathdown was a success story for Fine Gael, the Social Democrats and Fianna Fáil, the constituency was no stranger to the near-obliterating of the Green Party from the Dáil.
Having lost her seat following the ninth count, a notably absent outgoing Minister Catherine Martin posted a message on X saying: “It wasn’t to be this time.”
It was a fall from a height in 2020 when she received the highest number of first preference votes.
Although it was almost certain that Neale Richmond would return to the Dáil, meanwhile, there was a risk that Fine Gael would lose its two-seat footing following Josepha Madigan’s stepping down.
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However, councillor and first-time candidate Maeve O’Connell maintained her lead, following his election, up until the near-end, becoming the third candidate to be elected.
She was outrun at the last minute by Social Democrats candidate Sinéad Gibney, the first party candidate to run in the constituency.
Despite whispers of a tight final count, a comfortable 1,040 votes placed Ms Gibney ahead of Ms O’Connell.
Fianna Fáil councillor Shay Brennan, the son of the late former TD and minister Séamus Brennan, meanwhile, secured the party’s first seat in the constituency since its establishment in 2016.
