Four candidates elected in final count

There was a nail-biting end hinged on potential drama in the Bailieborough-Cootehill area where, heading into the eighth and final Count there were five candidates within 500 of each other.

What was crucial for Sinn Fein at least was the elimination of first time party candidate Bridget Boyle in Count 7, leading to a division of her votes.

It was running mate Paddy McDonald from Bailieborough who benefitted most, jumping by 425 votes to 1500, and ahead of nearest rival Francis McDermott from Shercock (+51 1353).

At that stage it was fairly certain that Clifford Kelly FF and Carmel Brady FG would be elected.

Aidan Fitzpatrick FF also scooped a significant portion of Boyle’s votes, both being from the same area near Cootehill.

The four elected in the dying stages joined Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly, the election’s big winner, and elected in the first count with 1776 first preferences.

She was followed by Val Smith FG, elected in the seventh, after party member Shirley Hall was eliminated on in Count 6.

Sarah O'Reilly rise as a co-optee, having defected from Fianna Fail sent shockwaves across the LEA and things developed.

She was not only the first candidate elected in Cavan, but also the first for her party nationally.

She got a similar level of vote to former county councillor, Niamh Smyth TD, in whose seat she was coopted to after the local deputy was elevated to Dail Eireann in the 2016 General election.

Also from Bailieborough, in 2014 Smyth got 1,886 first preferences, which served as her platform to subsequently mount a challenge for a place in Leinster House 

Aontú leader Peadar Toibin visited the Cavan Count centre on Saturday evening, and while Sarah O'Reilly remained coy on such a attempted step up, the Meath-native ambitiously out mainstream parties "on notice" that his fledgling collective would be willing and ready to contest the next general election when it is called.

Labour’s Mary Roche was eliminated first.