Brian Cowen's personal vote may have been the highest in the State but those at the Laois-Offaly count had to wait until after 1am yesterday for what was the final Dáil seat in the country.
The count will be remembered too for the exit from the Dáil of Tom Parlon, the president of the PDs and the former president of the Irish Farmers' Association. From the declaration of Cowen's huge vote of 19,102 votes and the obvious collapse of the PD effort in the constituency when Parlon polled only 4,233 first preferences, it was clear Charles Flanagan of Fine Gael was Dáil bound again.
The emptying ballot boxes soon established that Laois-Offaly was no longer Parlon Country but the territory of the two major parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Following the election of Olwyn Enright of Fine Gael on the eighth count late on Saturday evening, all eyes were focused on the battle for the final seat between two Fianna Fáilers: John Moloney, the outgoing Laois-based TD, and newcomer John Foley, an Edenderry-based businessman. What followed was a classic, in-house, inter-county race that could only be decided on transfers from other parties.
It took the distribution of the other Fianna Fáil TD, Seán Fleming's surplus of 615 to finally decide the outcome in favour of Moloney, who was elected on the 11th count with a total of 10,277 votes, not too far ahead of Foley on 9,966.
Overall change: PD loss, FG gain
Outgoing TDs
Brian Cowen FF
John Moloney FF
Seán Fleming FF
Olwyn Enright FG
Tom Parlon PD