LE2024 Meath: The Story of the Trim Count

All six councillors have now been elected in the Trim electoral area with two sitting councillors- Niamh Souhan (FG) and Trevor Golden (Ind)- losing their seats.

The two newcomers are Fianna Fáil's Padraig Coffey, a butcher from Enfield, and Dave Boyne of Aontú, an engineer from Trim.

Boyne is the second Aontú candidate to be elected to Meath County Council with sitting councillor Emer Toíbín re-elected on the first count in Navan.

Fine Gael's Niamh Souhan was the first sitting councillor on Meath County Council to lose their seat.

The Enfield-based councillor was eliminated on the seventh count in the Trim LEA just after midday today. Enfield traditionally elects a councillor and this time the seat went to Padraig Coffey (FF).

The eighth count saw a final result in Trim with Aisling Dempsey (FF) reaching the quota to be re-elected. With just four candidates for three seats, sitting councillor Ronan Moore (Soc Dem) was re-elected without reaching the quota, and newcomers Dave Boyne (Aontú), and Padraig Coffey (FF) were also elected without reaching the quota.

Sitting councillor Noel French topped the poll achieving well over double the quota polling a remarkable 3,963 first preferences.

The former Fine Gael councillor turned independent was elected on the first count along with sitting councillor Joe Fox of Fine Gael who also exceeded the quota with 1,881 votes.

Sinn Féin's hopes of reclaiming a seat in the Trim Electoral Area were dashed as the party's second candidate Daithí McEvoy has been eliminated on the sixth count. Sinn Fein's other hopeful, Aoife Drew, was eliminated on the fourth count.

Other candidates to be eliminated were Tracy McEhinney of Labour after the second count, Luba Healy of Fine Gael was eliminated on the fifth count and Niamh Souhan on the seventh count.

In 2019, Noel French, then a Fine Gael candidate, achieved the highest first preference of any candidate in a Meath County Council election at 3,052 and this time round has managed to exceed that vote by another 900 votes.

A delighted Cllr French said: "I'm just very pleased and very honoured. I am privileged to be back to serve my people. I am extremely lucky that I have very kind, generous people who support me.”

Having run as a Fine Gael candidate last time round, the question had been how much of his vote was a Fine Gael vote and how much was a personal vote for the candidate. Cllr French said there are so many unknowns in elections, he didn't know what to expect.

“I didn’t expect it, it’s not only the unknown of leaving Fine Gael, it’s the unknown of elections. You never, ever know. You just don’t know. There are so many unknowns with it," he said.

Cllr Joe Fox achieved 1,881 first preferences to increase his vote by over 400 votes on 2019.

Cllr Fox said he was "delighted" to be elected on the first count and thanked his family, his supporters, and the people of south Meath who voted for him.

"It is a great honour to be re-elected. This is my third time to be elected and I am delighted for the people that supported me that I can continue the work I’m doing. To me it is a great honour to be elected to Meath County Council," he said.

TRIM ELECTORAL AREA

Electorate: 27,282

Total Poll: 11,986

Quota: 1,690

Spoiled votes: 162

Valid Poll: 11,824

Seats: 6

FIRST COUNT:

French, Noel (Ind) 3,963

Fox, Joe (FG) 1,881

Dempsey, Aisling (FF) 1,044

Boyne, Dave (Aontu) 895

Coffey, Padraig (FF) 833

Moore, Ronan (Soc Dem) 798

Golden, Trevor (Ind) 476

McEvoy, Daithi (SF) 426

Healy, Luba (FG) 414

Drew, Aoife (SF) 400

McElhinney, Tracey (Lab) 177

SECOND COUNT (Distribution of French's surplus)

Dempsey + 321 1,365

Boyne +264 1,159

Coffey +203 1,036

Moore +386 1,184

Golden +476 952

Healy +154 568

McEvoy +112 538

Souhan +171 688

Drew +90 490

McElhinney +96 273

Tracy McElhinney has been eliminated.

THIRD COUNT (Distribution of McElhinney's vote)

Dempsey + 47 1,412

Boyne +20 1,179

Moore +33 1,217

Coffey +19 1,055

Golden +30 982

Souhan +35 723

Healy +13 581

McEvoy +17 555

Drew +8 498

(No candidates elected or eliminated. Joe Fox's surplus will now be distributed)

FOURTH COUNT (Distribution of Fox's surplus)

Dempsey + 35 1,447

Moore +12 1,229

Boyne +13 1,192

Coffey +28 1,083

Golden +10 992

Souhan +45 768

Healy +41 622

McEvoy +4 559

Drew +3 501

Drew eliminated.

FIFTH COUNT:

Dempsey + 14 1,461

Moore +25 1,254

Boyne + 25 1,217

Coffey + 22 1,105

Golden +13 1,005

McEvoy + 340 899

Souhan + 6 774

Healy +15 637

Healy eliminated.

SIXTH COUNT (Distribution of Luba Healy's votes)

Dempsey + 117 1,578

Moore +100 1,354

Boyne + 34 1,251

Coffey + 10 1,115

Golden +64 1,069

Souhan +227 1,001

McEvoy + 18 917

McEvoy eliminated.

SEVENTH COUNT (Distribution of McEvoy's votes)

Dempsey + 43 1,621

Moore +203 1,557

Boyne + 191 1,442

Golden +118 1,187

Coffey + 36 1,151

Souhan +34 1,035

Souhan Eliminated

EIGHT COUNT (Distribution of Souhan's votes)

Dempsey + 189 1,810

Moore +120 1,677

Boyne + 60 1,502

Coffey + 288 1,439

Golden +95 1,282

Dempsey, Moore, Boyne and Coffey elected.