Three sitting councillors were elected on the first count in the Loughrea area, with Cllr Shane Curley topping the poll.

Galway County Council stalwart Cllr Jimmy McClearn (FG) came in second, with Independent Ireland candidate Declan Kelly elected just eight votes behind after he joined Galway East TD Michael Fitzmaurice’s party.

He’s the second Independent Ireland councillors to win a seat after Connemara North Cllr Seamus Walsh was elected yesterday.

It was Cllr Kelly’s first time to face the electorate after he was co-opted onto the Council following the retirement of Cllr Pat Hynes, who died not long afterwards.

Poll-topper Cllr Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher should be elected on the next count, coming, just 27 votes shy of the quota, with Cllr Ivan Canning also looking safe, with 1,346 first preferences, leaving the Loughrea Municipal District with the same faces for the incoming term.

Caption: Cllr Jimmy McClearn with his family Grainne, son Ciaran, wife Noreen and son Niall. Pic Gerry Stronge

Loughrea

Five seats

Electorate: 19,964

Total poll: 10,461

Spoiled votes: 95

Total valid poll: 10,366

Quota: 1,728

Count 1

Curley, Shane (FF) 1,933

McClearn, Jimmy (FG) 1,754

Kelly, Declan (Ind) 1,746

Maher, Michael Moegie (FG) 1,701

Canning, Ivan (FF) 1,346

O’Reilly, Ailish (SF) 807

Larkin, Mark (FF) 651

Tooher Madden, Michelle (Green Party) 231

McGettigan, John Anthony (The Irish People) 197