Fionnán Sheahan: ‘Keep it going to March’ – Simon Harris’s honeymoon creates election date dilemma

Mary Lou McDonald hasn't gone away, but why would Taoiseach give Sinn Féin chance to recover?

Taoiseach Simon Harris with candidate Regina Doherty as he arrives at the RDS count centre in Dublin. Photo: Fergal Phillips

Fionnán Sheahan

Ordinary backbencher Leo Varadkar was checking the tallies across north and west Dublin. The Fingal County Council votes were being sorted at the top corner of the vast warehouse that is the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion.

All told, Fine Gael had done well. Varadkar’s sidekick, Ted Leddy, had topped the poll in his home patch of Castleknock and the party had won back a seat in Swords. A relaxed-looking Varadkar was being approached for photos and one tallyman even asked him for his autograph. He was congratulating winning candidates. It was a far cry from the hassled, downbeat and exhausted figure he cast two months ago when he was still taoiseach.