Gráinne Seoige said she was proud of the General Election campaign she ran, despite coming up well short of a seat in Galway West.

The An Spidéal broadcaster, one of two Fianna Fáil candidates, said she had ‘great craic’ on the campaign where she made new friends.

And she rejected she was a celebrity candidate parachuted in.

Speaking to a media scrum at Galway Lawn Tennis Club Sunday, ahead of her elimination, she said was “disappointed” she did not take a seat.

“Nobody achieves anything in this life unless they leave their comfort zone and I did that and that’s something I’ll always bring with me, and you never know what’s going to happen in the future,” Ms Seoige said.

“I was nominated by the grassroots. I went around for months and met delegates in their homes. I went to convention and was chosen by the card-carrying members of Fianna Fáil to stand in this constituency.

“So I reject completely that supposition (celebrity candidate parachuted in), because it’s just not true. On the parachute thing, is as An Spidéal mise, í gConamara. Togadh ansin mé, is as Ros Muc mó athair agus as Inis Meáin mo mhatháir. Is páirt don áit seo mise – so there was no parachute.

“I’m a celebrity thing is a tag people like to attach and it’s not a nice one, because it makes somebody out to be without substance and I have plenty of substance. The Tánaiste (Micheál Martin) himself said yesterday I was an outstanding candidate,” she added.

Ms Seoige won 2,929 first preference votes, far less than Councillor John Connolly (7,192) who is on course to hold the seat held by Éamon O Cuív in every election since 1992.

Pictured: Gráinne Seoige at the count centre today with Hildegarde Naughton (FG)