A full recount of votes in the Tipperary North constituency will get underway this morning.
It after the 9th count saw the two lowest candidates separated by just 7 votes.
Roscrea based Michael Smith of Fianna Fáil was on 6,369 votes compared to the 6,362 of Thurles based Independent Jim Ryan.
Jim Ryan told Tipp FM that with such a narrow margin he had to seek a recount.
“If I’m still in the race (after the recount) it will mean Michael Smith’s nearly 6,500 votes will have to be transferred and I’ll be 1,400 votes at that stage behind Ryan O’Meara. You don’t know – I mean Michael Smith is in my local district area. Geography wise he’s be closer to me than Ryan O’Meara. I know they’re the same party but we’ve all heard the different stories and rumours that maybe all is not well in that camp.
“I’d only be letting myself down if I just caved in here now and went home, slept on it and said jeez I was only one vote behind – why didn’t I go for that recount?”
The recount gets underway at the Presentation Secondary School in Thurles at 11am.
Independent Michael Lowry topped the poll in Tipp North and was elected on the first count.
Labour’s Alan Kelly is set to take the second seat with Fianna Fáil’s Ryan O’Meara the frontrunner for the third and final seat
Tipperary South was wrapped up earlier with
Independents Mattie McGrath and Seamus Healy along with Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy were elected in Tipperary South.
