Fallon's Town Talk: A triumph for Connolly and a clear message from voters 

It was apt for an election that didn’t capture the public imagination that any hint of drama to the presidential campaign was dashed quickly.

In what must be a record, Kevin Humphreys of Labour told ‘Morning Ireland’ within five minutes of boxes being opened in the RDS in Ballsbridge that Catherine Connolly would win on the first count and the result would be known by noon on Saturday.

It was the same in Roscommon. Since last year’s local elections, GAA county board chairman Brian Carroll has established himself as the go-to guy for election count updates. At 9.11 a.m. on Saturday morning, the tally from Granlahan had Connolly on 100 votes, Heather Humphreys at 42 and Jim Gavin at eight. It was already all over bar the shouting – which would have to wait until the evening.

Along with Connolly’s resounding triumph, the major story of this year’s presidential election was the number of spoiled votes. The national turn-out at 45.8% was higher than expected, and turned out to be higher than the last presidential election. Roscommon/Galway was ahead of the national average at just over 52%. Nonetheless, over 11% of the votes in this constituency were spoiled while nationwide the figure was an eye-watering 13%.

The level of disillusionment with the major political parties is at a level we haven’t seen before and puts intense pressure for reform in the process for selecting presidential candidates.

It was good to hear Claire Kerrane, on the Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1, being on a panel where she could savour a good day for Sinn Féin, rather than defending them when they’re under pressure. Kerrane spoke of her regard and affection for Humphreys and said she would contact the Monaghan woman this week.

After a campaign that got vicious, it was refreshing to hear. This mutual respect was replicated at the announcement of the result in Dublin Castle where politicians of all hues mixed amicably.

Ultimately this turned out to be a good election for SF, even if some may have lingering regrets that a candidate of their own might have won. Nonetheless, if this election is the launch pad for a lasting United Left Alliance which propels McDonald to the Taoiseach’s office, it will have been worth it.

Success has many fathers and defeat is an orphan, as John F. Kennedy once said. Labour, the Social Democrats, The Greens and People Before Profit are entitled to enjoy their part in Connolly’s success. One of those who was prominent, especially when Connolly visited Roscommon last Thursday and at the count in Dublin Castle, was local MEP, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan.

Yet, it is Connolly and her own team who deserve the most credit. She was brave to declare her candidacy early and spent the summer trying to build up her support base. The sad departure of the front-runner, Mairéad McGuinness, left her with a head-start on FG’s hastily-anointed replacement and FF’s sensational left-field choice.

It was quickly apparent that Gavin was out of his depth even before he withdrew from the contest. That left two contenders and the longer the race went on the further Connolly drew ahead, culminating in her landslide victory.

The campaign turned nasty but the scare tactics directed towards Connolly didn’t work. The voters wanted to give the government a kicking and the presidential race offered them the ideal opportunity.

Also, Connolly remained calm and composed, and whatever wavering voters remained felt she won the low-key ‘Prime Time’ debate. Connolly stayed true to her beliefs while convincing people she won’t let Ireland down on the international stage. People who met her liked her.

While Gavin’s withdrawal, and the removal of the safety net of FF transfers for Humphreys, was a pivotal moment, the video which went viral of Connolly’s ‘keepie-uppie’ soccer skills may have been just as important. This was an election where social media and podcasts proved more influential than radio and television and Connolly’s campaign were more adept at getting their message across in a transformed media landscape.

The Galway-West by-election will be a daunting test for the government. If it is another debacle for FF, and governments rarely win by-elections, the scrutiny on Micheál Martin’s leadership will become more intense.

Simon Harris may get flak too, but the government parties were fighting an uphill battle in this election. Does anyone, even FG and FF die-hards, think either Seán Kelly or Billy Kelleher would have beaten Connolly?

To the victor the spoils and we all hope President-elect Connolly emulates her many distinguished predecessors who have been our first citizen.