The Aontú candidate finished in 8th position in the Letterkenny LEA after Donal Coyle was re-elected

Mary T Sweeney has gracefully accepted defeat after a fierce race for the final seats in Donegal County Council.

The Aontú candidate called a recount late on Sunday night (June 10) after the gap between she and Independent candidate, Kevin Bradley, closed to just five votes.

Following the recount, discrepancies were discovered which led to a five point lead for Sweeney and prompted Bradley to call for a second recount.

Although Bradley was eliminated following the second recount, Sweeney missed out on the final seat on the council as Michael McBride (Ind) and closest rival Donal Coyle (FF) were re-elected.

In the wake of the news, Sweeney said she had no regrets about calling the recount and stated she had "a huge responsibility" to the people who voted for her.

She said, "Democracy prevailed."

She hopes 100% Redress councillors across the county will continue to progress, and stated, "Delighted especially for the mica candidates. Get recognised, get elevated and I hope now the rest of the councillors will get behind the mica candidates and get them some real support on a local level to get to Dublin and get this resolved."