'Philosophical' Lucinda Creighton facing loss of seat in Dublin
Renua Ireland leader Lucinda Creighton has said that she is unsure about keeping her seat but that her party has a "big contribution" to make into the future.
Ms Creighton said: “I hope that I make it today, it’s anybody’s guess to be honest, it will probably be tomorrow before we have a final result”.
She said she was very proud of the campaign that Renua had run but that it had been a “tough” one.
Arriving to a wall of media at the RDS, as well as some booing, said she was glad she had run with a party instead of going it alone as an Independent.
Disappointed to hear Lucinda Creighton booed at count centre. She had the courage to run and deserves same respect as rest of field. #GE16
— Oliver Callan (@olivercallan) February 27, 2016
The outgoing Dublin Bay South TD also said she did not know what to say about the future of her party, which she set up after leaving Fine Gael over its stance on abortion.
“Fingers crossed that I will hold my seat, but if I don’t I’m very philosophical about these things.”
She said it would have been an easy route to run as an independent in Dublin Bay South and instead her party had offered people a “new positive platform for change”.
She also said she was proud of the fact the party had exceeded a threshold of 2% nationally.
Ms Creighton said the party would build on the results it had got in the election, which was “a first step.”
“It’s the first of many electoral contests I hope.”
Ms Creighton also said there was a “duty” on other parties now to form a Government.
However, she said she did not know the detail of what was going on in counts around the country.
The current tallies see Ms Creighton trailing on the outside for the fourth seat in the constituency.
Earlier, her own campaign team privately admitted to the Irish Examiner that the former minister would not hold onto her seat.
Fine Gael have made great efforts to try and get two seats in Dublin Bay South, with incumbent Eoghan Murphy attempting to return to the Dail with running mate Kate O’Connell.
Current tally predictions put the two of them in the lead, followed by Fianna Fail’s Jim O’Callaghan, the Greens Eamon Ryan and Labour’s Kevin Humphreys.
Arriving at the RDS, Mr Murphy admitted that the Fine Gael campaign had not gone according to plan nationally.
The former banking inquiry member said it remained to be seen what coalition or government options his party would consider.
Ms O’Connell said there had been a battle between herself and Ms Creighton the ground in the affluent Dublin constituency of Dublin Bay South, which she had "enjoyed".
She said she knew what it was like for someone to lose their seat, as her father had previously when in politics.
