Brian Campbell describes the scenes at the count in Cootehill
At 2.50pm on Saturday RTE was still saying that Sinn Féin would
``possibly'' be fighting for the fifth seat in Cavan/Monaghan. But
almost four hours earlier the Sinn Féin tally had shown that
Caoimhghín O Caoláin was headed for a landslide victory.
The Sinn Féin tally was carried out on two small tables under the
stairs in the count centre in Cootehill Comprehensive School. The
tally people counted the Sinn Féin preferences as each ballot box
was emptied, marked them on a tally card and handed the cards to
runners who brought them to the tally table. Every few minutes
Caoimhghín would arrive and with the flourish of a lucky poker
player throwing his cards on the table he would ask, ``What was
the target for Monaghan Urban?'' ``98 votes from three boxes.''
``Well, will you take 103 from one box?'', and the card was thrown
triumphantly on the table.
It was like that for two hectic hours. At one stage a Fine Gael
tallywoman fainted but the count continued unabated. Like a scene
from one of those old cowboy films, she was taken away and her
place at the circled wagons was taken by another volunteer.
By 11.00am it was clear that Caoimhghín would top the poll. A
phone call came through from the prisoners in Long Kesh - they
were among the first to know about the historic victory.
The Sinn Féin team surged out of the count centre to jubilant
scenes outside. Gerry Adams arrived and was swept into the
cheering, flag-waving crowd. In radio interviews both he and
Caoimhghín talked about an important breakthrough.
Then Gerry Adams whispered to Pat Treanor, the director of
elections, ``Is your tally accurate? Because if it isn't, there's
going to be some red faces about.'' Pat laughed, just a little
nervously. ``We're safe enough,'' he said.
Inside the hall, the other parties looked a little bewildered.
``We're only lending you the seat,'' one Fianna Fáil tallyman said.
``That's what the SDLP said and look what happened them,'' said a
Sinn Féin worker.
The result wasn't announced until 4.30pm, by which time one side
of the count centre was jam-packed with Sinn Féin supporters
waving dozens of tricolours. Outside, dozens more had climbed up
to get a view through the high windows. Caoimhghín stood at the
rail with three of his daughters, Pat Treanor, and Gerry Adams
and Martin McGuinness.
There was a hush while the numbers were read out. ``O Caoláin,
eleven thousand, five hundred and thirty one...'' and his
supporters erupted in cheering and flag waving. ``And I declare
Caoimhghín O Caoláin elected...'' and for the first time
Caoimhghín allowed himself to celebrate. He punched the air, then
hugged his daughters before he was engulfed by supporters and
swept out of the hall.
``One TD and two MPs, doo-dah, doo-dah,'' sang the crowd as the two
MPs carried the TD shoulder high. Later, they stood together on a
low wall and addressed the hundreds of Sinn Féin supporters.
``Sixteen years ago, we had Kieran Doherty TD. Now we have
Caoimhghín O Caoláin TD,'' said Gerry Adams, remembering the last
republican TD for Cavan/Monaghan. Hunger striker Kieran Doherty
died a few weeks after being elected in1981 and his memory had
been everywhere during the campaign.
Caoimhghín told the crowd that they were the foundation on which
the victory had been built. ``We have emboldened the republican
tradition,'' he said. ``We in this constituency have faced
censorship and state oppression but we have held our heads up
high and we have faced them down and today we have had our
victory.''
Martin McGuinness said he was ``overjoyed to be here today. This
is a remarkable breakthrough. Over the last two months we have
broken the mould of Irish politics and my greatest joy is that
our victories were all-Ireland victories. Our opponents talk
about trains leaving stations but if we aren't on that train it
is going absolutely nowhere.''
Caoimhghín and his supporters then set off on a cavalcade which
took them through Cavan and Monaghan. In Monaghan town a crowd
had gathered in Church Square. Caoimhghín stepped out of the car
to greet them. Everywhere hands were reached out and he was
hugged as he walked up the street. It was a scene of unconfined
joy. For those republicans who had marched and held vigils, who
had been imprisoned and seen pain and suffering, this was their
victory.
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