#Elections2019: Two FG seats would be 'absolutely magic' result, Mairead McGuinness says
Re-elected Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness has said the growing chances of her and running mate Maria Walsh winning Midlands-North-West European elections seats is an "absolutely magic" result.
Ms McGuinness was elected for what will be a fourth term as an MEP on the first Midlands North West count on Monday afternoon.
The Fine Gael received 134,630 votes - a 22.6% haul that puts her almost 20,000 votes over the 118,986 quota.
The situation is certain to help Ms Walsh, who received 64,500 first preference votes, a haul that places her in fourth after the first count, with transfers expected to see her leapfrog both Independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan and Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy.
Speaking to reporters at the count centre, Ms McGuinness said she was "delighted, relieved and probably a little bit tired as well".
She said the possibility of both her and Ms Walsh winning the first two seats is "absolutely magic", and something she is delighted to see potentially unfold.
"I'm delighted, relieved, probably a bit tired as well. Because yesterday you talk a lot about it, but then when you get the result you probably go oh wow as well, it is great.
I suppose it's what we hoped would happen, that I would get over the line and have a surplus as well, Maria Walsh has done really well, she has a strong vote, I think she's gonna get transfers from all of those who are going to get eliminated in the process of this.
"So I would be confident quietly that we're going to take the first two seats which would be just magic, absolutely magic," she said.
Asked about other candidates - including Greens candidate Saoirse McHugh and Fianna Fáil TDs Brendan Smith and Anne Rabbitte - who have not done as well as predicted, Ms McGuinness agreed politics is a tough business.
She said:
"Well, look, I mean I'm not going to comment on any one individual, it's a very tough time when you don't get over the line and when your vote isn't what you expected.
"I have to say, I know Brendan Smith very well, I've got to know Anne Rabbitte and to her great credit she gave me her number one position in a debate when I was meant to be number nine, so I really thank her for that.
And, look, everybody does their best in elections, they're tough physically but they're also very tough mentally and challenging, and you lot don't make it easy either.
"We're constantly being watched and being chased, so well done for everybody involved in this election.
"I was a little corralled so I didn't get to see all of the constituency, but Frankie Feighan says he's going to allow me to cross the Shannon a few times, so look well done to everybody, people will be disappointed, we've all gone through elections whether it's internal or public ones.
"You can't win everything but it's not what you lose but what you gain, and I've lost things in the past and I'll learn from them as well."
