2014 Donegal County Council election

An election to Donegal County Council took place on 23 May 2014 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 37 councillors were elected from five electoral divisions by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office. In addition Ballyshannon Town Council, Bundoran Town Council and Letterkenny Town Council were all abolished.

2014 Donegal County Council election

23 May 2014
All 37 seats to Donegal County Council 19 seats needed for a majority
Party Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin Fine Gael Seats won 11 9 6 Seat change +1 +5 -2   Party Labour Independent Seats won 1 10 Seat change -1 +5
Map showing the area of Donegal County Council
Council control before election Fianna Fáil Council control after election Fianna Fáil

The arrest of one candidate was ordered ahead of the election.[1][2]

Gary Doherty of Sinn Féin and independent Frank McBrearty Jnr, a former county mayor and formerly of Labour, were the first candidates to be elected. Both were elected on the first count in the Stranorlar Electoral Area.[3] Another candidate Ian McGarvey, who went into the election as Ireland's oldest Mayor, was re-elected in the Letterkenny Electoral Area.[4] The count concluded in Letterkenny in the early hours of Monday 26 May, when Mick Quinn of Sinn Féin narrowly triumphed over independent Donal Cullen just after 5 am.[5] Independents did well, according to local media in the Donegal LEA at the expense of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and would increase their representation by 5 overall on the Council.[6] Overall while Fianna Fáil made gains in Letterkenny and Glenties they lost a seat in Donegal compared to 2009. Michael Farren retained a solitary seat for Labour in Inishowen. Fine Gael lost 2 seats overall in the Donegal and Inishowen LEAs. Sinn Féin won a second seat in each LEA except Donegal.[7]

Results by party

Results published here. (archive link)

Party		Seats	±	First Pref. votes	FPv%	±%
	Fianna Fáil	11	+1	21,069	29.1%
	Sinn Féin	9	+5	14,204	19.6%
	Fine Gael	6	-2	11,351	15.7%
	Labour	1	-1	2,723	3.8%
	Independent	10	+5	21,258	29.4%
Totals		37	+8	72,306	100%	—

Results by Electoral Area

Donegal

Donegal - 8 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
	Independent	Niamh Kennedy	12.52	1,738	1,742	1,755	1,790	1,838	1,886	1,940	2,174
	Fianna Fáil	Sean McEniff*††	11.83	1,642	1,643	1,671	1,686	1,739	1,748	1,890	1,896	1,897	1,906	1,913	2,244
	Independent	Tom Conaghan	11.38	1,580	1,581	1,597	1,648	1,652	1,801	1,920	1,943	1,948	2,117
	Independent	John Campbell*††††	8.78	1,219	1,221	1,237	1,259	1,272	1,320	1,370	1,441	1,475	1,671	1,706	1,744	1,752
	Fianna Fáil	Brendan Byrne*	7.90	1,096	1,096	1,098	1,103	1,107	1,116	1,207	1,380	1,441	1,584	1,599	1,624	1,639
	Sinn Féin	Noel Jordan	7.84	1,088	1,088	1,101	1,112	1,122	1,162	1,194	1,219	1,242	1,355	1,366	1,827	1,888
	Fine Gael	Barry O'Neill*	7.65	1,062	1,064	1,072	1,089	1,125	1,141	1,163	1,227	1,235	1,542	1,566	1,703	1,785
	Sinn Féin	Michael McMahon	6.99	970	973	1,026	1,036	1,159	1,166	1,195	1,202	1,206	1,211	1,211
	Fine Gael	John Boyle*	6.39	887	887	888	897	897	913	931	1,125	1,178
	Fine Gael	John McNulty	5.88	816	816	822	827	828	839	845
	Fianna Fáil	Michael Naughton	4.25	590	591	604	621	628	651
	Independent	Jonathan Kennedy	2.71	376	376	381	407	412
	Independent	Joseph McNulty	2.56	356	364	376	379
	Independent	Bernie Mulhern	1.62	225	225	235
	Independent	Laurence McManus	1.51	209	211
	Independent	Patricia McCafferty	0.19	27
Electorate: 22,050   Valid: 13,881 (62.95%)   Spoilt: 132   Quota: 1,984   Turnout: 14,014 (63.55%)

Glenties

Glenties - 6 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fianna Fáil	Seamus O Domhnaill*	14.64	1,889
	Sinn Féin	Marie Therese Gallagher*	13.60	1,754	1,792	1,794	1,816	1,890
	Fianna Fáil	Enda Bonner	9.64	1,244	1,266	1,270	1,280	1,310	1,422	1,476	1,478	1,518	1,669
	Sinn Féin	John O Fearraigh	9.51	1,227	1,230	1,239	1,269	1,270	1,431	1,616	1,628	1,864
	Independent	Micheál Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig	8.57	1,106	1,118	1,120	1,146	1,160	1,227	1,341	1,346	1,413	1,612
	Fine Gael	Terence Slowey*	7.17	925	931	931	1,025	1,104	1,106	1,163	1,169	1,211	1,399
	Fianna Fáil	Ian Molloy	6.94	895	901	903	906	1,119	1,139	1,149	1,160	1,182	1,273
	Labour	Seamus Rogers	5.75	742	762	764	797	858	886	1,009	1,019	1,096
	Independent	Michael McClafferty	5.59	721	726	736	868	888	903	962	963
	Independent	Padraig Doherty*	5.04	650	661	664	736	745	832
	Independent	Brian Carr	4.26	550	555	555	560
	Fianna Fáil	Hughie MacGiolla Bhride	4.23	546	548	551	565	567
	Fine Gael	John Curran	3.91	504	504	513
	Direct Democracy	Joe McCarron	1.13	146
Electorate: 22,325   Valid: 12,899 (57.78%)   Spoilt: 136   Quota: 1,843   Turnout: 13,035 (58.39%)

Inishowen

Inishowen - 9 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Fianna Fáil	Martin McDermott	12.51	2,002
	Sinn Féin	Jack Murray*	9.23	1,476	1,483	1,499	1,546	1,553	1,582	1,591	1,594	1,706
	Sinn Féin	Albert Doherty	8.75	1,399	1,459	1,463	1,483	1,486	1,511	1,636
	Fianna Fáil	Paul Canning*	8.24	1,318	1,334	1,336	1,342	1,346	1,406	1,422	1,423	1,436	1,436	1,462	1,466
	Independent	Nicholas Crossan	7.83	1,252	1,258	1,284	1,327	1,430	1,441	1,506	1,510	1,652
	Fine Gael	Bernard McGuinness*	7.38	1,180	1,271	1,278	1,287	1,310	1,340	1,488	1,499	1,519	1,523	1,726
	Fianna Fáil	Rena Donaghey*	7.12	1,139	1,184	1,193	1,207	1,264	1,368	1,406	1,409	1,473	1,477	1,536	1,539
	Labour	Martin Farren*	6.49	1,038	1,051	1,054	1,064	1,068	1,199	1,219	1,223	1,256	1,258	1,403	1,427
	Fine Gael	John Ryan*†††	6.33	1,013	1,017	1,027	1,052	1,147	1,155	1,176	1,177	1,207	1,213	1,360	1,452
	Sinn Féin	Ciaran McLaughlin	6.13	980	989	1,009	1,034	1,063	1,074	1,093	1,096	1,224	1,268	1,307	1,310
	Fine Gael	Mickey Doherty*	3.99	638	652	654	676	686	754	800	803	819	820
	People Before Profit	Joe Murphy	3.76	601	609	655	711	724	738	785	788
	Independent	Patrick McCarroll	3.47	555	595	612	648	654	671
	Fianna Fáil	Mary McCauley	3.23	516	592	596	602	605
	Fine Gael	Peter McLaughlin	2.24	359	362	369	374
	Independent	Ryan Stewart	2.08	332	340	361
	Direct Democracy	Eilis Haden	0.66	106	107
	Independent	Paul Ferguson	0.58	93
Electorate: 30,653   Valid: 15,997 (52.19%)   Spoilt: 212   Quota: 1,600   Turnout: 16,209 (52.88%)

Letterkenny

Letterkenny - 10 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
	Fianna Fáil	Liam Blaney*	9.33	1,763
	Fianna Fáil	Ciaran Brogan*	8.98	1,698	1,701	1,707	1,718	1,718	1,730
	Independent	John O'Donnell	8.95	1,692	1,697	1,708	1,721
	Independent	Ian McGarvey*	7.08	1,338	1,345	1,352	1,366	1,367	1,403	1,424	1,424	1,447	1,478	1,504	1,541	1,648	1,744
	Fianna Fáil	James Pat McDaid	6.95	1,314	1,321	1,328	1,331	1,331	1,340	1,373	1,373	1,430	1,459	1,496	1,645	1,759
	Sinn Féin	Gerry McMonagle*	6.42	1,213	1,214	1,232	1,249	1,249	1,272	1,280	1,280	1,307	1,312	1,372	1,414	1,441	1,530	1,533	1,546	1,552
	Independent	Michael McBride	6.02	1,138	1,141	1,144	1,160	1,161	1,181	1,203	1,204	1,231	1,268	1,289	1,330	1,456	1,522	1,533	1,633	1,698
	Sinn Féin	Mick Quinn†	5.69	1,076	1,078	1,085	1,090	1,090	1,106	1,118	1,118	1,122	1,132	1,144	1,157	1,212	1,244	1,254	1,297	1,304
	Independent	Dessie Shiels	5.05	955	956	969	993	993	1,019	1,056	1,056	1,120	1,151	1,229	1,300	1,381	1,514	1,522	1,555	1,573
	Fine Gael	Jimmy Kavanagh	4.74	896	896	900	920	920	942	984	985	1,050	1,177	1,224	1,283	1,347	1,587	1,590	1,977
	Independent	Donal Cullen	4.67	883	887	903	914	914	928	960	962	973	984	999	1,010	1,032	1,074	1,077	1,224	1,258
	Fine Gael	Noel McBride*	4.38	828	830	833	836	836	847	872	874	879	944	952	972	1,012	1,038	1,040
	Independent	Pascal Blake*	3.43	648	649	658	676	676	698	723	723	767	803	853	913	957
	Independent	Charlie McClafferty	3.21	607	608	615	624	624	630	659	661	716	749	772	800
	Fianna Fáil	John Watson	2.54	480	483	489	495	495	505	526	527	547	570	622
	Letterkenny Residents Party	Tom Crossan	2.26	428	429	441	457	457	467	487	488
	Independent	David Fisher	2.20	415	415	429	446	446	465	497	497	522	537
	Fine Gael	Grace Boyle	2.19	413	414	417	422	422	461	490	491	503
	Labour	Christy Galligan	1.99	377	378	381	385	385	419
	Labour	Siobhan McLaughlin	1.79	338	338	352	353	353
	Independent	Peter Cutliffe	1.15	218	219	225
	People Before Profit	Billy Banda	0.97	183	183
Electorate: 31,406   Valid: 18,901 (60.18%)   Spoilt: 163   Quota: 1,719   Turnout: 19,064 (60.70%)

Stranorlar

Stranorlar - 6 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Sinn Féin	Gary Doherty*	18.51	1,967
	Independent	Frank McBrearty Jnr*	14.97	1,591
	Fianna Fáil	Patrick McGowan*	13.30	1,414	1,439	1,444	1,452	1,491	1,509	1,619
	Fianna Fáil	Gerry Crawford*	11.48	1,220	1,247	1,247	1,265	1,277	1,285	1,332	1,371	1,393
	Fine Gael	Martin Harley*	10.69	1,136	1,153	1,159	1,165	1,222	1,250	1,315	1,334	1,421
	Sinn Féin	Liam Doherty	9.92	1,054	1,356	1,357	1,372	1,390	1,447	1,474	1,482	1,559
	Fine Gael	Bert Galbraith	6.53	694	701	705	713	719	720	724	724	730
	Independent	Seamus Kee	4.08	430	474	476	482	498	539	549	552	619
	Independent	Alan McMenamin	2.94	312	319	330	335	351	395	419	424
	Fianna Fáil	Claudia Kennedy	2.85	303	309	311	313	340	350
	People Before Profit	Charlotte (Charlie) McDyer	2.23	237	247	252	255	262
	Labour	Brian McCrea	2.15	228	234	234	235
	Independent	Tim Meehan	0.36	38	39
Electorate: 19,396   Valid: 10,628 (54.79%)   Spoilt: 147   Quota: 1,519   Turnout: 10,775 (55.55%)

Changes since 2014

• † Letterkenny Sinn Féin Councillor Mick Quinn resigned on health grounds on 27 March 2017. Adrian Glackin was co-opted to fill the vacancy on 29 May 2017.
• †† Donegal Fianna Fáil Councillor Sean McEniff died on 21 April 2017 following injuries sustained in an accident. At a convention on 16 July 2017 Micheál Naughton was selected to fill the vacancy.
• ††† Inishowen Fine Gael Councillor John Ryan resigned his seat on 15 May 2018 citing work commitments. A co-option will be made in due course. On 23 July 2018 Mickey Doherty was co-opted to fill the vacancy.
• †††† Donegal Independent Councillor John Campbell resigned his seat for personal reasons on 8 January 2019. On 28 January 2019 Seamus Maguire was co-opted to fill the vacancy.

References

1. "Arrest of council candidate ordered". The Irish Times. 17 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
2. "Arrest of Donegal local election candidate ordered". Irish Independent. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
3. Doherty, Diarmaid (25 May 2014). "Doherty and McBrearty first councillors elected". Donegal Democrat. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
4. "More stories to emerge from Local Elections". RTÉ News. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
5. "Independents Day! Sinn Féin also double seats as Fianna Fáil hold firm – Bad day for Fine Gael". Donegal Daily. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
6. Daly, Michael (24 May 2014). "The Donegal Electoral Area Independents to the fore". Donegal Democrat. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
7. "Donegal Council Elections". Irish Independent. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

External links

• Official website