Labour’s Marie Sherlock has taken the fourth and final seat in Dublin Central on the 11th count, edging out veteran gangland figure Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch after his strong performance shocked the political establishment.
Hutch (61), a surprise contender in the election when he became an Independent candidate, received 3,098 first preference votes, or almost a tenth of the vote in the first count.
The Labour candidate finally leapfrogged Hutch on transfers from the surplus distributed by Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe after his election. She received 1,032 transfers from Paschal Donohoe to reach 6,102, while Hutch received 127 transfers to reach 5,321.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon were elected on earlier counts.
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Hutch was met by a media scrum on his arrival at the Dublin Central count centre at the RDS on Sunday afternoon. Asked by reporters why he thought so many people voted for him, he said: “Because they want change... all types of change.”
Sherlock told reporters at the count centre that there was “huge interest” in Hutch’s candidacy because of the “media interest” in him.
“We have had a lot of media coverage of big names but no actual conversation what is happening on the ground,” she said.
The newly elected Labour TD acknowledged the 3,000 first preference votes that Hutch won in the election and said that this “has to be respected”.
Asked about the high level of support Hutch received in the election, Donohoe said on Saturday night that the majority of people in his constituency didn’t vote for Hutch but that other parties “will have to reflect on what are the reasons as to why this happened, why he got the votes that he did”.
Gannon said Hutch’s candidacy was unexpected but attributed his popularity to the media attention he received and the hurt felt for a long period by the Dublin inner-city community.
He described the support for Hutch not as a “protest vote” but a “cry for help” following years of austerity that have “destroyed the fabric of communities” including those in Dublin Central.
Observers initially gave Hutch little chance, but he secured a large following in the north inner city, where he is from, and also picked up significant support in other areas.
Hutch was once considered the State’s most prolific bank robber and went on to become a key figure in the bloody Hutch-Kinahan feud that claimed the lives of 18 people.
TheDubliner, who was also known by his gangland nickname ‘The Monk’ due to his reputation for quiet living, lodged papers to stand in the election after arriving back in Ireland from the Canary Islands, where he has a home.
Hutch arrived at the office of the Dublin City returning officer on a scooter and wearing a black motorcycle helmet in a pre-organised meeting.
His performance in Dublin Central, winning almost 9.5 per cent of the first preference votes, is all the more surprising given that it comes a year and a half after the end of the Regency Hotel trial during which Hutch was accused of the murder of gangland rival David Byrne.
The 2016 attack marked an escalation in the bloody feud between the Hutch and Kinahan gangs which would eventually leave 18 people dead, including Hutch’s brother and two nephews.
Hutch was later acquitted of the murder by the Special Criminal Court, which rejected the evidence of former Sinn Féin councillor and Hutch associate Jonathan Dowdall who turned State’s witness.
The court concluded that he controlled the three assault rifles used in the murder and was planning to give these to dissident republicans. However, Hutch was never charged with this offence.
He previously received an official Garda warning that his life was in danger. The threat against him is believed to be much reduced since the end of the Kinahan feud but the warning remains in place.
Hutch is facing an ongoing criminal investigation by Spain’s Guardia Civil into allegations he has been using his properties in Spain to launder large amounts of money.
The investigation began two years ago and culminated in the arrest of Hutch in Lanzarote on October 23rd and the search of his home in Clontarf, Dublin by gardaí at the request of Spanish authorities.
Nine people were arrested but Hutch and another man were the only ones held in custody.
At the start of November, in a surprise move, a Spanish court released him on €100,000 bail after he told the judges he intended to run for election in Ireland.
Prosecutors supported the bail request, and it was the opinion of the court that it should not interfere with Hutch’s right to run for office.
Hutch had already informed the media, through his associates, that he was considering a run for the Dáil, claiming that many people had implored him to stand.
Some gardaí believed that he was running just to stay out of Spanish prison, although Hutch claimed it was the other way around; that the police had orchestrated his arrest to keep him out of office.
After he arrived back in Ireland he quickly registered as a candidate and ran a somewhat unorthodox campaign.
He carefully chose who he gave interviews to and faced few tough questions about his criminal past or his poorly defined political manifesto.
Hutch’s team did not respond to multiple requests for interview by The Irish Times.
He engaged in limited door-to-door canvassing, though his supporters did erect posters around the constituency. Most of his campaign took place on social media, particularly TikTok where he uploaded a rap song about his candidacy.
During the general election campaign over the last two weeks, a van with a Gerry Hutch billboard on the back could be seen driving around Dublin Central playing of recording of Hutch saying: “Vote Gerry Hutch Number 1, the People’s Choice.”
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