Who would have thought it?

Fine Gael’s Joe McHugh tops the poll in Donegal North East, Cecilia Keaveney loses her seat, Fianna Fáil’s Dr Jim McDaid polls strongly to take the second seat, and the hotly-tipped Sinn Féin candidate Pádraig Mac Lochlainn narrowly misses out in a ding-dong battle for the third seat with Fianna Fáil’s Niall Blaney.

When the dust settled after a marathon count at the Mount Errigal hotel in Letterkenny that went on until 4.32am on Saturday morning, it began to dawn on people that Inishowen is without a TD for the first time in many years.

Ms Keaveney from Moville held the seat for 11 years. Previously, her late father was the incumbent.

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Ms Keaveney’s colleague, county councillor Marian McDonald said: “I am personally disappointed for Cecilia. She has been an excellent worker, with excellent support staff in Paula and Karen.

“It’s only in the days ahead that the work will be appreciated. She worked tirelessly and in totally a selfless and committed way for Inishowen.

“She delivered piers, schools, fire stations, football pitches, houses, roads and millions of euros.

“We can see the result of her work all around us. She would have made a great impact as a junior minister in Inishowen and instead we have no representative for the area.

Seat lost, people regarded Cecilia as part of Inishowen, a representative that would always be there. The truth was that every vote counts. She didn’t get enough votes despite her really hard work.

“FF did very well nationally and it was possible, in that climate, that three seats could have been achieved – but it didn’t work out in Donegal North East.

“Cecilia, by confining her campaign to one area gave her two colleagues the best chance, and lost out in the process.”

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn polled very well in Inishowen at the expense of Ms Keavney. It was clear after the Inishowen electoral area votes were tallied after the first count that Ms Keaveney was highly unlikely to keep her seat.

She was eliminated after the sixth count with 6,744 votes, a drop of nearly 1,600 on her 2002 performance.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn finished up with 8,876, just 563 votes fewer than Deputy Blaney.

Councillor Mac Lochlainn’s increased his vote by 5,265 on his 2002 tally.

What was also remarkable was the support for Joe McHugh in the peninsula.

Deputy McHugh’s Fine Gael colleague Councillor Bernard McGuinness was delighted with his party’s performance.

He said: “I predicted Joe would top the poll last week and people laughed at me. I had a few quid on Joe, too, which makes the result all the sweeter. He will be an excellence deputy and campaigner for Inishowen.”

Deputy McHugh’s campaign manager, former Derry Journal editor Pat McArt, said: “Joe played a blinder. He preferred to meet people in person rather than communicate through press releases and on the radio.

“He must have knocked on every door in the constituency.”

Buncrana Labour Party candidate Siobhan McLaughlin was philosophical about her defeat.

She said: “Unlike Cecilia Keaveney, at least I have a job to go this week. I’m going back to work on the Donegal Travellers’ Project.

“I feel sorry for her. She’s the victim of somebody else’s row.

“I really enjoyed the campaign. It was a great experience and a step learning curve. I feel for Pádraig Mac Lochlainn too who so very nearly made it.”

Independent candidate Arthur McGuinness from Moville polled just 86 votes. He said that was enough to form a new party.

Christian Solidarity party candidate Mary Doherty from Buncrana polled just 339.

She said: “I haven’t disgraced myself.”

Nearly 17,000 people in Inishowen voted. The breakdown of votes was: Cecilia Keaveney – 6066; Padraig MacLochlainn – 4,500; Joe McHugh – 3,392; Niall Blaney – 1,067; James McDaid – 653; Siobhan McLaughlin – 342; Jimmy Harte – 326; Mary Doherty – 212; Frank Gallagher –196; Arthur McGuinness – 80 and Ian McGarvey – 30.