Granard had one of the highest turnouts at the 2024 local elections
Longford County Council is the council for Drumlish, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. The Granard local electoral area elected 5 councillors in June 2024: Fine Gael 3, Independent 1 and Fianna Fáil 1. No party holds a majority on Longford County; Fine Gael has the most seats, 8 of 18, short of the 10 a majority needs. In the Dáil, Longford-Westmeath has 5 members: Fine Gael 2, Independent 1, Fianna Fáil 1 and Sinn Féin 1.
Drumlish’s council and votes, in 4 figures
High turnout
7,162 of Granard’s 10,955 registered voters turned out in June 2024, 65%: the 4th-highest of 166 local electoral areas (all of them: 49%). How Drumlish voted ↓
A close last seat
At the final count in Granard, David Cassidy (Fianna Fáil) had 1,071 votes and Colin Dalton (Fine Gael) 1,067: the last seat went by 4, the 4th-closest of 156. How Drumlish voted ↓
A large budget for its size
Longford County Council’s 2026 revenue budget comes to €1,702 for each resident, against €1,551 across all 31 councils, leaving out the HAP programme. Council money ↓
A short ballot
9 candidates stood for 5 seats in Granard in June 2024, the 23rd-least contested ballot of 166 by candidates per seat. Local elections ↓
Written from the data on this page: the 2024 count sheets of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Oireachtas members list.
No party holds a majority on Longford County Council
Seats on Longford County Council as elected in June 2024, with each party’s candidates, and the other councils beside it.
- Fine Gael810 stood
- Fianna Fáil810 stood
- Independent212 stood
As elected on 7 June 2024.
A party needs 10 of the 18 seats to outvote the rest. None has that: Fine Gael is largest with 8. None of the 31 councils has a single-party majority. Fianna Fáil is second with 8 seats. The councillors elect a cathaoirleach each June to chair the council for a year; no open national list names them.
The 31 councils of Ireland
Seats by party as elected, largest party named; this council first.
Local and general election results 2024: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY-SA 4.0); areas matched to towns by TownRatings from Tailte Éireann boundaries and CSO Census 2022 Small Areas (CC BY 4.0).
One council, and the government for the rest
Drumlish has no town or county council of its own: Ireland has 31 councils, each the only council for its area.
Housing and homelessness, planning, local and regional roads, parks and libraries, the fire service, bins enforcement and street cleaning, the register of electors, and the Local Property Tax rate it may vary.
longfordcoco.ie ↗Schools (Department of Education), health (the HSE), national roads (TII), policing (An Garda Síochána) and the Local Property Tax itself (Revenue).
gov.ie ↗Uisce Éireann runs water and sewers; private operators collect most bins under the council’s rules.
Who to ask
Green: the council. Gold: a government department or one of its agencies. Grey: another public body.
From the council to the Dáil
Every elected tier that speaks for Drumlish, from the most recent elections.
- 1The Granard local electoral areaGranard · 5 membersGarry MurtaghTurlough McGovernParaic BradyPádraig McNamaraDavid Cassidy
- 2Longford County Council18 councillors from 3 local electoral areasFine Gael 8 · Fianna Fáil 8 · Independent 2
- 3Dáil ÉireannLongford-Westmeath · 5 members
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. TDs: Houses of the Oireachtas Open Data (Oireachtas PSI Licence, CC BY 4.0).
5 councillors represent Granard
Each of the local electoral areas where 5% or more of the town’s residents live: who was elected, and who else stood.
- Garry Murtagh
- Turlough McGovern
- Paraic Brady
- Pádraig McNamara
- David Cassidy
Also stood (4): Colin Dalton (Fine Gael), Susan Murphy (Fianna Fáil), Marett Smith (Fianna Fáil), Barry Campion (Sinn Féin).
Drumlish’s councillors, one by one
| Councillor | Party | Area | First preferences | Result | Returning or new |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garry Murtagh | Fine Gael | Granard | 1,450 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | Re-elected |
| Turlough McGovern | Independent | Granard | 1,413 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | Re-elected |
| Paraic Brady | Fine Gael | Granard | 1,211 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | Re-elected |
| Pádraig McNamara | Fine Gael | Granard | 699 | Elected at the last count, below the quota | New |
| David Cassidy | Fianna Fáil | Granard | 543 | Elected at the last count, below the quota | New |
3 of the 5 were sitting councillors who were re-elected; 2 weren’t on the council before the election.
Seats by party in each of Longford County Council’s 3 local electoral areas
Every area of Longford County Council: seats, candidates and turnout
| Area | Seats | Candidates | Electorate | Turnout | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granard | 5 | 9 | 10,955 | 65.4% | 1,185 |
| Ballymahon | 6 | 12 | 12,067 | 58.8% | 1,003 |
| Longford | 7 | 18 | 13,843 | 50% | 854 |
Each of the local electoral areas elects 3 to 7 councillors by single transferable vote: voters number the candidates in order, a candidate who reaches the quota is elected, and spare votes and those of the lowest candidate pass to the next preference. A councillor who leaves is replaced by co-option, usually from the same party, so the names can change without an election.
Councillors: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
Women hold 2 of the 18 seats on Longford County Council
Everyone elected to Longford County Council across its 3 local electoral areas in June 2024, by party: how many are women and how many sat on the council before.
| Party | Seats | Women | Re-elected | First preferences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | 8 | 1 | 5 | 30.5% |
| Fine Gael | 8 | 1 | 5 | 43.3% |
| Independent | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18.2% |
2 of the 18 councillors are women, 11%; across all 31 councils the share is 26%. 12 sat on the council before the election and 6 are new to it.
Every member of Longford County Council
| Councillor | Party | Area | Returning or new |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Ross | Fine Gael | Ballymahon | Re-elected |
| Mick Cahill | Fianna Fáil | Ballymahon | Re-elected |
| Pat O’Toole | Fianna Fáil | Ballymahon | Re-elected |
| Mark Casey | Independent | Ballymahon | Re-elected |
| Sean Mimnagh | Fianna Fáil | Ballymahon | New |
| Martin Skelly | Fine Gael | Ballymahon | New |
| Garry Murtagh | Fine Gael | Granard | Re-elected |
| Turlough McGovern | Independent | Granard | Re-elected |
| Paraic Brady | Fine Gael | Granard | Re-elected |
| Pádraig McNamara | Fine Gael | Granard | New |
| David Cassidy | Fianna Fáil | Granard | New |
| Gerry Hagan | Fine Gael | Longford | Re-elected |
| Martin Monaghan | Fianna Fáil | Longford | Re-elected |
| Seamus Butler | Fianna Fáil | Longford | Re-elected |
| Peggy Nolan | Fine Gael | Longford | Re-elected |
| Niall Gannon | Fine Gael | Longford | New |
| Kevin Hussey | Fianna Fáil | Longford | New |
| Uruemu Adejinmi | Fianna Fáil | Longford | Re-elected |
The council: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
First preferences in Granard, June 2024
Each candidate’s first-preference votes; the tick is the quota of 1,185. Elected candidates are in bold.
First-preference share by party in Granard
The tick is the party’s share across all of Ireland.
Turnout was 65.4%, 7,162 of 10,955 registered voters: the 4th-highest of 166 local electoral areas (all of them: 49.4%). The quota was 1,185: 7,105 valid votes for 5 seats, counted over 7 rounds. Garry Murtagh (Fine Gael), Turlough McGovern (Independent) and Paraic Brady (Fine Gael) passed the quota on first preferences; transfers filled the other 2. David Cassidy (Fianna Fáil), 6th on first preferences, won a seat on transfers, overtaking Colin Dalton (Fine Gael), who was 4th. David Cassidy (Fianna Fáil) took the last seat with 1,071 votes at the final count, 4 more than Colin Dalton (Fine Gael), on 1,067.
Every candidate, count by count (7 counts)
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result | Votes at the end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pádraig McNamara | Fine Gael | 699 | Elected at the last count, below the quota | 1,113 |
| David Cassidy | Fianna Fáil | 543 | Elected at the last count, below the quota | 1,071 |
| Garry Murtagh | Fine Gael | 1,450 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | 1,185 |
| Turlough McGovern | Independent | 1,413 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | 1,185 |
| Paraic Brady | Fine Gael | 1,211 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | 1,185 |
| Barry Campion | Sinn Féin | 253 | Excluded at count 4 | – |
| Marett Smith | Fianna Fáil | 282 | Excluded at count 5 | – |
| Susan Murphy | Fianna Fáil | 434 | Excluded at count 6 | – |
| Colin Dalton | Fine Gael | 820 | Not elected, standing at the last count | 1,067 |
How Drumlish voted: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
Who stood, and who was elected, June 2024
Every candidate for Longford County Council, by party: the light bar is candidates, the solid bar those elected.
Share of candidates elected, all of Ireland
Parties with 10 or more candidates across the 31 councils.
39 candidates stood for 18 seats on Longford County Council in June 2024, 2.2 for each seat. Turnout across the council was 57.4%, the 5th-highest of 31 councils. Fine Gael elected 8 of its 10 candidates. 10 of the 39 candidates were women (26%; 31% across the country), and 12 stood without a party. Across all 31 councils, 2,172 candidates stood for 949 seats, 2.3 for each.
Turnout in all 31 councils
Local elections: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
Drumlish is in Longford-Westmeath
5 TDs elected to the Dáil by single transferable vote on 29 November 2024, the whole constituency’s count.
Independent · Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
oireachtas.ie ↗Fine Gael
oireachtas.ie ↗Fine Gael · Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
oireachtas.ie ↗Fianna Fáil · Minister of State at the Department of Finance
oireachtas.ie ↗Sinn Féin
oireachtas.ie ↗TDs as the Oireachtas lists them today, with any office they hold; a by-election or a change of party shows here, the 2024 count below does not change.
First preferences in Longford-Westmeath, November 2024
First-preference share by party in Longford-Westmeath
Turnout was 58.4%, 62,353 of 106,814 registered voters: the 30th-highest of 43 Dáil constituencies (all of them: 59.7%). With 61,884 valid votes and 5 seats the quota was 10,315; the count ran to 15 rounds. Peter Burke (Fine Gael) passed the quota on first preferences; transfers filled the other 4. Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) took the last seat with 9,208 votes at the final count, 2,645 more than Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fáil), on 6,563.
Every candidate, count by count (15 counts)
| Candidate | Party | First preferences | Result | Votes at the end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micheál Carrigy | Fine Gael | 7,090 | Elected at the last count, below the quota | 9,208 |
| Robert Troy | Fianna Fáil | 8,116 | Elected at count 15, on the quota | 10,331 |
| Kevin Boxer Moran | Independent | 8,056 | Elected at count 14, on the quota | 10,450 |
| Sorca Clarke | Sinn Féin | 6,998 | Elected at count 13, on the quota | 10,315 |
| Peter Burke | Fine Gael | 10,864 | Elected at count 1, on the quota | 10,315 |
| Paul Bradley | Independent | 115 | Excluded at count 3 | – |
| Charlotte Keenan | Independent | 66 | Excluded at count 3 | – |
| Donal Jackson | Independent | 48 | Excluded at count 3 | – |
| Carol Okeke | Green Party | 464 | Excluded at count 4 | – |
| Dympna Cunniffe | Fianna Fáil | 528 | Excluded at count 5 | – |
| Tanya Cannon | Fine Gael | 507 | Excluded at count 6 | – |
| Margaret Alacoque Maguire | Ireland First | 864 | Excluded at count 7 | – |
| Dave Smyth | People Before Profit–Solidarity | 960 | Excluded at count 8 | – |
| Louise Heavin | Independent | 915 | Excluded at count 9 | – |
| Fidelma Bennett | Labour Party | 1,574 | Excluded at count 10 | – |
| Laura O'Neill | Aontú | 1,926 | Excluded at count 11 | – |
| Gerry Warnock | Independent | 2,262 | Excluded at count 12 | – |
| Barry Campion | Sinn Féin | 2,344 | Excluded at count 13 | – |
| Paul Hogan | Independent Ireland | 2,956 | Excluded at count 15 | – |
| Joe Flaherty | Fianna Fáil | 5,231 | Not elected, standing at the last count | 6,563 |
Dáil Éireann: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
Longford County Council plans to spend €1,702 per resident in 2026
What its 2026 revenue budget pays for, service by service, and where the money comes from.
By service, per resident, 2026
What pays for it, 2026
Shares of what funds the 2026 budget; the tick is all 31 councils together.
Leaving out the HAP programme, that is the 4th-highest of the 31 councils per resident; across all of them it is €1,551. The budget is up 5% on 2025, when it was €75.8M.
Commercial rates on businesses pay for 13% of the budget. Its annual rate on valuation is 0.2753, the 4th-highest of the 31 councils that rate on revalued property. The Local Property Tax brings in another 14%.
Budget per resident, all 31 councils (without the HAP programme)
Show the services as a table, 2025 and 2026
| Service | 2026 | Per resident | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing and building | €18.3M | €391 | €16M | 15% |
| Roads and transport | €22.2M | €476 | €21.6M | 3% |
| Water services | €2.6M | €56 | €3.5M | -24% |
| Planning and development | €14M | €299 | €13.4M | 4% |
| Environment and fire | €10.3M | €221 | €9.1M | 14% |
| Libraries, parks and amenities | €6.4M | €136 | €6.4M | -1% |
| Agriculture, education, health and welfare | €474K | €10 | €610K | -22% |
| Other services | €5.5M | €118 | €5.2M | 5% |
Budgets: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Local Authority Annual Budgets 2025 and 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), revenue account before inter-authority contributions are netted; residents: CSO Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0).
Each of Longford County Council’s 18 councillors speaks for about 2,600 residents
Residents per councillor on each of the 31 councils.
Longford County Council has 18 councillors for 46,751 residents: about 2,600 each, the 2nd-lowest of 31 councils. The range runs from 9,410 residents per councillor on Dublin City to 1,960 on Leitrim County.
Residents per councillor, all 31 councils
Seats: local elections 2024 (Department of Housing, CC BY-SA 4.0); residents: CSO Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0).
Having a say in how Drumlish is run
Check, register or update your address online; the register closes 15 days before a poll (Sundays and holidays aside).
checktheregister.ie ↗Potholes, broken lights, dumping and graffiti, sent to the council.
FixYourStreet.ie ↗Council and municipal district meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
longfordcoco.ie ↗Anyone may make a submission within five weeks of an application, for a fee of €20.
longfordcoco.ie ↗Each TD’s contact details are on the Oireachtas members page.
oireachtas.ie ↗The Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates and how to be nominated.
electoralcommission.ie ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Single transferable vote. Voters number candidates in order. The quota is the valid votes divided by one more than the seats, plus one. A candidate over the quota is elected and their surplus passes on; when nobody is over it, the lowest is excluded and their votes pass on, until the seats are filled. The last seats can go to candidates below the quota once too few are left to fill them. First preferences show where support started, not who won.
- Which area. A town is placed in its council, local electoral area and Dáil constituency by where its residents live (Census 2022 Small Areas); an area holding 5% or more of them is listed too. Areas reach beyond the town, so their results are the whole area’s.
- Turnout. Votes cast, spoilt ones included, as a share of the register. Registers carry people who have moved or died, so every turnout reads low by a few points; compare areas, not the figure on its own.
- A close last seat. Shown only when the last candidate elected and the one left standing were both in the final count; the gap is between their votes then. Margins are not shown as headlines unless they are among the closest.
- Not on this page. Audited accounts and debt are published only as PDF statements, so they aren’t on this page. Votes before 2024 aren’t compared: the local electoral areas were redrawn for the 2024 local elections and the Dáil constituencies in 2023, so earlier results don’t cover the same ground. Who chairs each council and who runs it as chief executive aren’t in any open national list; each council names them on its website.
Questions about how Drumlish is run
Which council runs Drumlish?
The one council for Drumlish is Longford County Council: Ireland has a single tier of local government.
How many councillors does Drumlish have?
The Granard local electoral area elects 5 councillors: Garry Murtagh (Fine Gael), Turlough McGovern (Independent), Paraic Brady (Fine Gael), Pádraig McNamara (Fine Gael), David Cassidy (Fianna Fáil).
Which party has the most seats on Longford County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Fine Gael 8 · Fianna Fáil 8 · Independent 2 of 18 seats; a majority needs 10.
Who are Drumlish’s TDs?
Longford-Westmeath elects 5 TDs: Kevin Boxer Moran (Independent), Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael), Peter Burke (Fine Gael), Robert Troy (Fianna Fáil) and Sorca Clarke (Sinn Féin).
What was the turnout in Drumlish?
In Granard, 65.4% of registered voters turned out in June 2024 (Ireland: 49.4%). In Longford-Westmeath, 58.4% in November 2024 (59.7%).
When are the next elections in Drumlish?
Local elections are held every five years, so the next are due in 2029, in May or June. A general election must be held within five years of the last one (November 2024), sooner if the Dáil is dissolved.
What does Longford County spend?
Longford County Council plans to spend €79.8M on day-to-day services in 2026, the most of it on roads and transport.
Sources: Local and general election results 2024: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY-SA 4.0); areas matched to towns by TownRatings from Tailte Éireann boundaries and CSO Census 2022 Small Areas (CC BY 4.0). · TDs: Houses of the Oireachtas Open Data (Oireachtas PSI Licence, CC BY 4.0). · Boundaries: Tailte Éireann (CC BY 4.0); population: CSO Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0).. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).