How it started ...
After 16 counts, the Galway West count drew to a close shortly before 3:20 on Monday.
There's no change in the party allocation of seats, no change in the number of independents and the only personnel change arises as a result of the retirement of Fianna Fáil's Éamon Ó Cuív.
In fact, his absence from the field, for the first time in more than 37 years, loomed large throughout both the campaign and the count.
Without its standard bearer, Fianna Fáil decided to run city Councillor John Connolly, along with Conamara native Gráinne Seoige in Galway West.
She failed to resonate with voters and received just 5% of first preferences. Her running mate fared better despite being at a distinct disadvantage when it came to both exposure and backing from party HQ.
Voters delivered their verdict on the strategy last Friday. Mr Connolly was well placed from the start and kept the Fianna Fáil seat here.
The retirement of Ó Cuív rippled beyond his own party. As the long-standing 'Conamara TD' his departure left a chunk of votes that were previously his on a purely geographic basis.
The departure of several high-profile Conamara councillors from Fianna Fáil earlier this year gave all this an added dimension.
There's no denying that one of those councillors, who defected to Independent Ireland, prospered as a result of this election.
Noel Thomas ran a targeted campaign, with a laser-like focus. He hoovered votes around his Maigh Cuillinn base and further afield. He was active on social media, but cognisant of the need to fuse that with the age-old, tactical ground game.
This hit Fianna Fáil, it hit Fine Gael - in particular Seán Kyne - and caused some panic among Noel Grealish supporters, as their man neared the finish line.
Of all the contenders, Independent Catherine Connolly had perhaps the most relaxed re-election. Her campaigners worked the ground in the weeks leading to polling day, emphasising her track record and securing first preferences. After two terms in Leinster House, she was always odds on to return. She did, being elected on the eleventh count.
Sinn Féin’s Mairéad Farrell will also be pleased. Her party started the election trail on an unsure footing but canvassers sensed voters warming to them as polling day neared. In the finish, she topped the poll and went on to steadily amass transfers until she too crossed the line on Count 11.
She has now established herself and her party over two general election campaigns. These things matter. They allow you to build. Incumbency counts. Ask Éamon Ó Cuív.
Or you could ask Noel Grealish. Despite being impacted by the candidacy of Mr Thomas, he managed to hold on regardless.
Supported by a team that has been with him since he first contested and won here for the Progressive Democrats in 2002, he knows what it takes to keep his seat. His core vote across several elections is remarkably solid.
He personally canvassed hundreds of homes in the weeks before the latest election was called, mindful of the interactions that matter so much. In the middle of the bustling count centre on Sunday night, he took a moment to call a taxi for a constituent wanting to get home.
Simple acts that come as second nature to a seasoned politician.
Fine Gael walks away from the 2024 election here no better than it was beforehand, with Hildegarde Naughton holding the seat she first won in 2016, but again failing to bring in her running mate, Seán Kyne. The outgoing Government Chief Whip was elected on the 14th and final count.
Mr Kyne was also impacted by the candidacy of Mr Thomas, both of them fishing in the same geographical pool.
In the finish, the Independent Ireland councillor came within a couple of hundred votes of altering the status quo in Galway West. His momentum may build in the years ahead. Or, with his party failing to have made any gains in this contest, the moment may have passed.
That’s all until the next time.
Out of a seventeen-candidate field on this occasion, voters in Galway West ultimately favoured consistency in the team they are sending to the 34th Dáil.
How it ended ...
