A Donegal teacher has been elected general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, the country's largest teacher union.
Mr John Carr (54), a strong supporter of teachers using the bench marking process, succeeds Senator Joe O'Toole, although he will not officially replace him until after next year's INTO conference.
Mr Carr won the post on the fifth count with 9,218 votes against 7,559 for his nearest rival, Ms Catherine Byrne. The two candidates emerged as the front runners from early stage in the race.
Mr Carr said last night it was a great honour to lead a union like the INTO at such an important stage in Irish education. He received 7,547 first-preference votes, compared to 5,257 for Ms Byrne.
This put him near the quota which was over 8,600. A large number of transfers came from another challenger, Mr Tom O'Sullivan, the last candidate eliminated. Mr Carr and his team have been campaigning for several months, covering large distances and addressing branches in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Ms Byrne announced her intention last night to seek the post of general treasurer - effectively the number two position. This is currently held by Mr Carr. Another defeated candidate, Mr Noel Ward, based in Tallaght, Dublin, is also going forward for this influential post.
Mr Carr joined the INTO executive in 1982 and became a full-time official in 1989, taking over as general treasurer in 1996. His affable style is similar to that of Senator O'Toole, with whom he has worked closely over the last decade.
He has wide experience on a range of important educational committees and is used to dealing with Department officials. He went to college with the current Secretary of the Department, Mr John Dennehy.
Mr Carr's campaign was described as "very well organised"; two key members of his team were Mr Peter Mullan and Ms Dympna Mulkerrins, of the education committee.
Some union members thought during the week Mr Carr would have a difficult time winning the election when turnout figures for Northern Ireland - one of his strongest areas - were so low. However, Mr Carr was able to offset this by getting a strong vote in Dublin and in the south and west.
Mr Carr will now be known as general secretary-designate, although Mr O'Toole will not step down until after next year's conference, when he takes up a senior position with the ICTU. The reason for the length of the handover in the INTO is to ensure continuity at the top. It will also mean that Mr O'Toole will be heavily involved in the union's benchmarking submission.
Ms Byrne was described as the front runner for the general treasurer's job last night, although a serious challenge is expected from Mr Ward, a former programme manager for Mr Pat Rabbitte TD. Other candidates could also emerge for the position, which is decided by a ballot of members.
Ms Byrne said last night she would give Mr Carr her full support and she thanked all those who had voted for her.
While tensions have been mounting in the ASTI, none of the INTO candidates came out in support of ASTI's strategy. This surprised many teachers, because a group called Teachers United, which opposes the PPF and benchmarking, does have vocal members in the INTO. But they failed to put forward a candidate to challenge Mr Carr or Ms Byrne.