So Tim Cullinan prevailed, outlasting John Coughlan and Angus Woods in the gruelling IFA presidential election. The 900-vote lead he slowly built over the first count gave him a cushion which he built on when Woods’ votes were distributed. That lead was in no small part down to the 2,310 votes he pulled in north Tipperary, with another 916 coming from south Tipperary.

The speculation before the count was that Cullinan’s more “outsider” campaign might leave him less transfer-friendly than Woods and Coughlan.

Cullinan’s supportive stance regarding the beef protests may have struck a chord, or maybe just made him more memorable to voters

That proved wide of the mark. From early in the day, tally teams from all sides were reporting that Tim was doing well on transfers.

Some were holding that his position in the middle of the ballot was significant. This theory assumed people voting for Coughlan were going 1-2-3 down the ballot, and people voting for Woods were going 1-2-3 up the ballot. Perhaps it was more than that. Cullinan’s supportive stance regarding the beef protests may have struck a chord, or maybe just made him more memorable to voters.

Woods got the highest vote in 16 counties, while the others won five each (counting Tipperary and Cork as one county each), yet Woods was the one eliminated. Why? Well, Woods comes from Wicklow, which delivered 572 votes.

Woods could chat to Derek Deane and Raymond O’Malley in particular about the difficulty of being elected from a small county

This paled in comparison to the “base vote” the others received in Tipperary and Cork. Cullinan’s Tipperary vote slightly outstripped Coughlan’s Cork vote, making it the fifth election in a row where the candidate from the biggest county won the day.

Was a deal done between Cullinan and Cooney?

Woods could chat to Derek Deane and Raymond O’Malley in particular about the difficulty of being elected from a small county.

Tim also benefitted from the huge turnout Thomas Cooney’s campaign turned out in Cavan, outpolling Coughlan and Woods by over three to one in a county where pig farming is prominent.

The Galwayman has been an excellent advocate for farmers

Was a deal done between Cullinan and Cooney? If there was, it delivered better for Cullinan than Cooney, with Brian Rushe narrowly but significantly winning out in both north and south Tipperary.

Finally, in the excitement/disappointment of the result being announced, none of the candidates made reference to Joe Healy, which was an unfortunate oversight. The Galwayman has been an excellent advocate for farmers, and a truly healing force within IFA.

I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing him well in whatever comes next for him when his term of office ends next month.