'We didn't see it coming' - Tully 

Pauline Tully said that Sinn Fein will have to do some "soul searching" after the party's dismal performance in the local elections.

Sinn Féin retained just one of their four seats; Paddy McDonald in Bailieborough-Cootehill elected on the eighth count, without making the quota when his running mate Bridget Boyle was excluded.

"It's a very, very disappointing result. We didn't anticipate this whatsoever," admitted Ms Tully, who was the Sinn Féin director of local elections.

Daniel Downey and Damien Brady lost their seats in Cavan-Belturbet, and Noel Connell failed to retain his seat in Ballyjamesduff, while his running mate Geraldine Harten was the first excluded in the electoral area.  
Ms Tully expressed her sympathy for the Sinn Féin candidates.
"We didn't see it coming, it wasn't something that was said at the doors," said Ms Tully. "It's nationwide, it's not just here."
She said that the feedback from the door was that they were disillusioned with the government over issues such as housing.
"And yet we see partes like Fianna Fail and FIne Gael making gains, it doesn't actually make sense. I'm going to have to look at the vote - maybe the core vote didn't come out."
Ms Tully added: "We have to do some soul searching, but look, this has happened to other parties - it happened to the Green Party, it happened to the Labour Party, it happened to Fianna Fáil indeed, so parties sometimes slump and they have to pick themselves up, regroup, reorganise na dget themselves going again."
Despite this setback, Ms Tully, a former county councillor, said that she would proceed with her plans to stand in the next general election and didn't believe that it would reflect badly on her.
"I have had a lot of positive feedback," said Ms Tully. 
"We will be back knocking on doors and hopefully we will have established what went wrong in this election and maybe rectify whatever it is."