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Much online commentary suggested Noel Thomas should have won the seat because he was the most popular after the first count based on first-preference votes. Newsflash: We’re not in the UK with a first-past-the-post system that has served them so badly.

Some of it is just ignorance of our Proportional Representation Single Transferable Vote system.

However, others who should know better are deliberately driving the narrative that the Independent Ireland candidate was a victim who was hard done by. He was not.

Seán Kyne, second on first-preference votes, won the Bye-Election because he received more transfers (second, third, fourth etc preferences) than Thomas.

It’s not that voters who support parties of the Left like Labour and the Social Democrats wanted Seán Kyne to win. They didn’t. They wanted Helen Ogbu or Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich as their TD.

But when it came down to a choice between two Moycullen men, more voters chose what they felt was the least-worst option – Kyne instead of Thomas.

It’s hard to believe that........

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