'Athlone has a TD!': 'Boxer' Moran's best election result fills Dáil void for town

The clock was ticking towards 2am and most of Athlone's people were tucked up in bed when the town's political giant was officially reawakened.

And the roar that greeted the election to the Dáil of Kevin 'Boxer' Moran felt loud enough to stir some locals out of their slumber.

Hoisted aloft on the shoulders of his jubilant team, 'Boxer' shouted "we're back!" before declaring, "Athlone has a TD!"

The confirmation of his victory, in the early hours of Monday morning, marked the culmination of a hugely impressive return to the political fray after the blow of losing his Dáil seat at the previous general election in 2020.

A thumping victory at the local elections in June, when he received the highest vote share of any council candidate in Ireland, has now been followed by a resounding win on a bigger stage, as he received more than 8,000 first preferences in his best-ever election result.

"It's a massive, massive achievement," said 'Boxer'. "The people have spoken, and I'm just thrilled and delighted."

The Athlone man was the third of the candidates elected to the five Dáil seats in Longford Westmeath at an election which saw a clear majority of voters in the constituency remain loyal to the traditional 'big two' parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

In contrast to the national picture it was a particularly good election here for Fine Gael, which saw outgoing Enterprise Minister Peter Burke top the poll, with the party also gaining a second seat in the form of Longford's Micheál Carrigy.

Fianna Fáil, too, went against the grain of its national performance in Longford Westmeath. It lost a seat held by Longford's Joe Flaherty, although the party's Westmeath TD Robert Troy was re-elected.

Sinn Fein's Sorca Clarke also retained her seat, despite seeing a significant drop in her share of the vote compared with her poll-topping performance which had come amid a surge in support for Sinn Féin in 2020.

There was a sense, in the lead-up to Friday's polling day, that this general election campaign had never fully taken off. That was evident in the turnout nationally of 59.7%, which was down from 62.9% last time.

In Longford Westmeath the turnout was slightly lower again, at 58.4%, compared with 60% in 2020.

Counting began at the John McCormack Hall in the TUS Athlone campus shortly after 9am on Saturday, with Peter Burke the only candidate elected that night.

It continued throughout the day and night on Sunday, with the four other victors - Clarke, Moran, Troy and Carrigy - all elected between midnight and 4am on Monday.

For the people of Athlone, though, 'Boxer' was the big story, as his strategy of generally avoiding social media in favour of in-person contact with the electorate paid dividends.

"When I drive a taxi, I canvass every day," he said. "I talk to the people, the people know how I feel, what I want to do, and what I want to deliver on.

"We put the message out there that 'Boxer' wanted to get back, and the people wanted me back. But it wasn't just Athlone, it was across the constituency of Longford Westmeath."

Independent Ireland's Paul Hogan was the next best performer among the Athlone-area candidates, taking just under 3,000 first preferences and coming in seventh among the twenty candidates.

Former Athlone Green Party councillor Louise Heavin, in her first election tilt as an Independent received 915 first preferences.

First-time candidates Dympna Cunniffe of Fianna Fáil and Tanya Cannon of Fine Gael, both of whom were late additions to their party's tickets, received 528 and 507 number ones respectively, while 48 went in the column of Athlone Independent Donal Jackson.

Attention has already started to turn towards the talks around the formation of a new Government, with the newly elected Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy suggesting that 'Boxer' might have a part to play in that process.

The Longford man, who served as a Senator since 2020, indicated that he hoped to see a Government involving Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and some "fairly like-minded Independents".

He added: "Kevin 'Boxer' Moran was someone that was well regarded within our own party. Maybe he might be consider a phone call – we'll see!

"It's great to see him coming back and he's a great representative."

Boxer's return means that there will be an Athlone-based politician in the Oireachtas for the first time in nearly five years.