Tom Farrell 'relieved and excited' to be first elected in Westmeath

Fine Gael’s Tom Farrell has become the first councillor elected in Westmeath this morning.

He was elected on the first count with 2,185 votes, comfortably passing the 1,825 quota.

Taking a moment away from celebrations with his family at the count centre in Moate, Cllr Farrell said he was feeling a mixture of “relief and excitement”.

“It's a great honour to be the first to be the first elected and I’d like to thank people for putting their trust in me,” he said.

“I hope I’ll be able to return their faith and I plan on working hard for the community for the next five years.

“It’s a testament to the team I had around me and the work they did, this isn’t about the individual.”

He credits his success with having run a “door-to-door campaign”.

“I think it's very important because you need to meet people, people like to interact, and especially out in rural areas of the constituency,” he said.

“I found it all very interesting and what I’ve heard at the doors will shape my next term in the council.

“You meet a great cross-section of people and these people are very wise to the everyday running of Government.”

Cllr Farrell became emotional as he remembered his son Eoin Farrell who died from an illness in 2022.

“I'm very glad for my family, because since I was last here, I lost a son, this was for him up there as well and he was involved the last time, with the figures, stats and everything,” he said.

The Fine Gael councillor adds that he plans on “taking a few days” off now to relax after returning his seat before he gets back to work for his next term.