Former Skryne principal elevated to Dail

One of Fine Gael's new TDs in Dublin is Mary Mitchell O'Connor, who was principal of Skryne National School for many years. She was elected in the constituency of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, where sitting Fianna Fail ministers Mary Hanafin and Barry Andrews lost their seats. Ms Mitchell O'Connor became the centre of national attention last week when she visited the Dáil for her first time as a TD. Taking a wrong turn in the Leinster House car park, she ended up driving across the plinth on front of the building, and down the front steps, in full view of the national media which is normally camped around the gates of Leinster House. She earned the nickname, 'Daisy Mae Duke' from the 'Dukes of Hazzard' for her driving technique in her flashy red Hyundai, which had her name emblazoned across the sides and front. Ms Mitchell O'Connor, now principal of the Harold School in Glasthule, was elected on the 10th count in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, following the elimination of Labour's Ivana Bacik. The constituency also elected the Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore, Fine Gael's Sean Barrett, and Richard Boyd-Barrett of People Before Profit. Ms Mitchell O'Connor, who was on the staff of St Colmcille's NS in Skryne from 1982 to 1999, became principal there in the 1990s, before leaving for the position in Dublin. She was elected to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council as a Progressive Democrats representative in 2004, but later left the party as she no longer had any belief in its future following Michael McDowell's failure to be re-elected. Athboy native John Gilroy failed to be elected for Labour in Cork, despite polling very strongly. Gilroy ran in Cork North Central, a four-seater with a quota of 10,428, and polled 6,125 first preferences. His party colleague, Kathleen Lynch, retained her seat, and Gilroy lasted until the ninth count, being eliminated before Lynch was elected, thus losing the opportunity to pick up her transfers. In Dublin Central, constituency of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Senator Paschal Donohoe of Fine Gael topped the poll. His roots are in Dunboyne where his father grew up and his grandparents were stationmasters at the old railway station in the village, prior to the dismantling of the Dublin-Navan rail line in the 1950s. Former Meath county councillor and Fine Gael deputy leader, Richard Bruton from Dunboyne, topped the poll in Dublin North-Central, where Sean Haughey lost his Fianna Fail seat. And there's a Meath connection with the new Fianna Fail TD for Longford-Westmeath, Robert Troy, a local councillor in Westmeath and postmaster in Ballynacargy. Troy, who is the only FF TD in the constituency following the demise of Mary O'Rourke and Peter Kelly in the election, is partner to Elaine Hoban from Moynalvey, daughter of Tony and Mary Hoban. Ashbourne resident Pat Carey was among those TDs who lost their seats in the annihilation of Fianna Fail. The Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs was a TD for Dublin North-West. His constituency base is in Finglas, an area he became known in as vice-principal of St Finian's School, Finglas.