'It always comes with a health warning' - Humphreys

Minister confident of holding seven seats in Cavan but accepts 'transfers can go in many different directions'

Minister Heather Humphreys is quietly confident that Fine Gael will retain seven seats on Cavan County Council and perhaps gain a seat in neighbouring County Monaghan.

Speaking at the Cavan Count Centre, she said: “Based on the tallies Fine Gael has performed well in the elections. We're looking in Monaghan, based on the tallies, at possibly gaining a seat there but it always comes with a health warning - early days - you can't really comment until the final count is over and all the transfers because we know transfers can go in many different directions.”

In respect of the party's performance in Cavan specifically, she said: "Here in Cavan, we'd say that we have seven outgoing councillors, we are hopeful that the seven of them will be returned. They have all performed strongly and I am happy to see that."

The Celt suggests that perhaps, while the seats may be retained, there may be a different combination of candidates.

"There is one new comer in Niamh Brady and she has polled very well," said the Minister.

Asked if perhaps, Fine Gael should have perhaps fielded another candidate in Bailieborough Cootehill, Minister Humphreys replied: "Some would say some parties fielded too many candidates and that will impact on their seat gains or otherwise."

In respect of two candidates in the Cootehill area standing largely on an immigration platform, off the back of protests in Cootehill, Minister Humphreys said she wasn't concerned they would impact her local candidates.

"I am confident that Val Smith and Carmel Brady will be elected. They have both worked very hard and I'd be hoping the two of them will get across the line," she said.

The Celt asks if she was surprised that the two independent candidates in Cootehill took over 800 first preferences between them, according to tallies.

While saying that people vote for many different reasons, Minister Humphreys said: "There is a lot of misinformation around migration - there really is. Look at the number of people who come into this country to work in our hospitals, look at all our industry and food processing plants.

"If we didn't have people coming into this country, our hospitals wouldn't function and we couldn't put food on the table and there's been a lot of misinformation out there and I accept that there are people coming here illegally and what the government is doing is we're processing them quickly and, if they're not entitled to be here, we are returning them home and it's a rules-based system but I think it gets lost in the overall [debate] the contribution that migrants do make to this country."

The Minister was also quick to remind that many Irish people in the last century immigrated to countries such as America, Australia and England.

"They were migrants then also. I think we should try and understand."

The Minister posed for photographs with local candidates, congratulated others and chatted to council staff, many of whom she knew by their first name.

She is due to visit the Count Centre in Monaghan later this evening.