WHEN 99-year-old Cornelius O’Mahony walked into Crookstown Hall last Friday, it marked the tenth presidency of his lifetime, writes Jackie Keogh.

‘I was reminded of my younger days, helping to build that very hall, but I never thought I would still be here in my hundredth year, voting for the next president,’ he said.

Cornelius cast his first vote in a presidential election in 1959. In those days, he said, you had to be 21 to vote so he was too young when Seán T O’Kelly was first elected in 1945. He was just 12 when the first president of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, was elected in June 1938. Cornelius has lived through all ten Irish presidencies.

Born in Toames, near Macroom, on May 28th 1926, he has been a farmer all his life. He expressed surprise at the level of spoiled votes in this election saying: ‘To me, that’s abusing the right to vote. It’s something hard won, and every citizen should value their say.’

Cornelius is father to two daughters, Kathleen and Joan, and three sons, Pat, John, and Niall, with 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Although most of his children have retired from their jobs, Cornelius said: ‘I like to think I’ve passed them out, as I wouldn’t consider myself retired from farming just yet!’

Independent Catherine Connolly was voted into the Áras in a landslide win over Fine Gael’s Heather Humphries, with a record 914,143 first preference votes. In the Cork South West constituency she received 18,350 first preferences, with Humphries securing 10,120,  with a turnout of 48%.