Agricultural panel:Fianna Fáil lost one of its Seanad seats in the resumed Agricultural panel count yesterday.
The loss, from six seats to five, was expected, given that Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty won a seat arising from the party's voting pact with Labour. Fine Gael held its four seats, while Labour held its single seat.
Fine Gael's Paddy Burke, a close associate of party leader Enda Kenny, and defeated general election candidates John Paul Phelan, Carlow-Kilkenny, Paul Bradford, Cork East, and Eugene Regan, Dún Laoghaire, won seats.
Veteran Fianna Fáil Senators, Pat Moylan, Francis O'Brien, Peter Callanan and Jim Walsh, held their seats, and they were joined by John Carty, from Mayo, who lost his Dáil seat in the general election.
Fianna Fáil's Ollie Wilkinson, who lost his Dáil seat in Waterford, failed to get a seat on the panel. "I am disappointed that I did not win, but I was in a difficult area geographically," said Mr Wilkinson.
"I hope to continue my political career and talk to the Taoiseach about being included in his 11 nominees."
As the Labour panel count continued last night, the party seemed set to make a gain, with strong performances by Phil Prendergast, an unsuccessful general election candidate in Tipperary South, and Michael McCarthy who failed to get a seat in Cork South-West. There were strong performances from outgoing Fianna Fáil senators Geraldine Feeney, who topped the poll with 80,000 votes, and John Hanafin who had 75,000 first preferences.
Fine Gael's Jerry Buttimer, an unsuccessful candidate in Cork South Central, polled an impressive 61,000.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said yesterday that he envisaged his party co-operating with other Opposition parties on tactical matters when the Dáil resumes in September.
This follows the highly-successful Labour-SF voting pact which saw Sinn Féin take its first Seanad seat with the election of Mr Doherty.
"We are in the Dáil to utilise the opportunities the Dáil chamber presents.
"That has presented us with challenges in the past in terms of making working arrangements with other parties. That did not compromise our respective independence.
"If a situation is presented which would allow us better access to participating in Dáil business, we are open to explore all of that," he added. Mr Ó Caoláin said that Sinn Féin now had an Oireachtas team, as distinct from solely a Dáil team.
Mr Doherty defended the voting pact with Labour and denied that it had caused any unease among rank-and-file members.
"Going into the Seanad election there were only 58 Sinn Féin members with a vote.
"We had to reach out to other parties. I am very glad that a number of Labour voters, and others, voted for me," he said.
