WATCH: Elated Egan's ground warfare gets result this time
New Fine Gael councillor admits being emotional because one daughter is in Australia
FARMER, husband and father of three, Hughie Egan now has the added duties of a county councillor.
“I feel elated, I feel humble. Delighted for my team, delighted for my family, delighted for the people that I'm going to represent because I think, well I hope, I'll represent them well,” he said after his election was confirmed.
One of the Fine Gael man's children, Sinead, is in Australia and he confessed to being a “small bit emotional” at her absence.
“I'd love her to be here,” he remarked.
Sinead's siblings Lucy and Ben were in the count centre tonight. “Lucy's been running the home farm for the last eight weeks and she's so delighted I am elected.”
Egan also ran for the council in 2019 but did not make the cut.
“We learned a lot from the last election... the one thing we did learn from this one is it's ground warfare. It's door to door, you can't beat shaking hands talking to people and I'm one of the best men in Ireland to talk.”
He added: “I think it's been a great election for the right... and people have gone back to Fine Gael and probably Fianna Fail as well. Farmers have a big part to play, we've big challenges coming but we are farmers and farmers are brilliant at meeting challenges, nitrates directive and different things.
“Probably Fine Gael get a small bit of [flak] over a few things in Europe but we'll work through them, we're good lads and people will listen to us.”
He recalled that he is now filling the gap left by the retirement of long serving former councillor 10 years ago.
“We lost it in 2014. Connie Hanniffy didn't go, she was a councillor for 40 years and it's after taking three elections to get it back. We have it back, so we're all ready, we're ready and waiting to go, mad for work.”