Leitrim's youngest local election candidate commends Green Party result
Adam Ó Ceallaigh scored 330 first preference votes in the Ballinamore LEA
The first tally has been completed for the Ballinamore local electoral area, with total number of votes being 6593. Big gains were seen for Paddy O'Rourke (FF), Enda McGloin (FG), Brendan Barry (SF) and Ita Reynolds-Flynn (FG). The fate of the last two seats in Ballinamore LEA is yet to be seen.
It looks like the final two seats are a battle between Sinn Féin's Joanne Curnan and Róisín Kenny and Fianna Fáil's Gary Prior.
Leitrim's youngest candidate, Adam Ó Ceallaigh, scoring 330 first preference votes in the first tally is maintaining a positive attitude. "I think it's a fantastic result for myself and the Greens. It shows that there is an appetite for a strong, progressive candidate in the area and that people do buy into what the Greens are pushing.
"Part of that is the 28 bus services a day in through Ballinamore, people have seen how that is affecting their lives over the last number of years and that's reflected in the vote," he said.
At just age 22, Ó Ceallaigh is passionate about getting more young people involved in local politics.
"We'll have to see how the numbers break down for the voter demographic. I think there's always work to do especially in trying to engage young people to vote right now. Young people necessarily don't see that politics is for them.
"They don't see that they have a say in it and that's the importance of having diverse candidates there and such a young candidate like myself, I think it will hopefully continue to engage young people in campaigns and voting over the next few years.
"I think what's on my side is the energy, the passion and the ideas and I think that stood to me. I think people have that appetite. They recognise that it's not just about voting in the same guys over and over again, it's about giving the next generation a chance. That is reflected in the vote that I got.
"What we're seeing today for the Greens is their best ever result in Leitrim, I think that has to be recognised as a great success up here in the North West," Ó Ceallaigh concluded.