McFadden honoured and grateful to be elected

Athlone's newest TD, Deputy Gabrielle McFadden, was overcome with emotion following her success in the Longford/Westmeath by-election last night.

In her victory speech, Deputy McFadden said: 'I wish tonight that I was down in the count centre in Athlone and that I was topping the poll for the county council election and that I had Nicky by my side, but I don’t.'

She said she was honoured to have been elected to represent the constituency.

“I’m really honoured and I’m really very grateful to the people of Longford/Westmeath who have offered me this opportunity and given me this chance to represent them and I promise that I will do what I said I would throughout the campaign and that is to represent Longford/Westmeath to the best of my ability and to bring jobs, I hope, to Longford/Westmeath so that the recovery that is happening in this country comes to Longford/Westmeath.'

Earlier on Saturday night, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he knew it was a day tinged with nostalgia for Gabrielle McaFadden.

“I know that for Gab McFadden this is a day tinged with a degree of nostalgia because while the indication is that she’s going to win the seat and obviously it’s a trust placed in her by the people of Longford/Westmeath to carry on the work of her late sister Nicky, I know that this is not an easy time for Gab McFadden and I do wish her the very best of luck in the future and I know that she will continue to serve the people of Longford/Westmeath in the way that she knows she can and that her sister did.”