Three constituencies that show why Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin outperformed Fine Gael

Fine Gael received 1.8 percentage points more support than Sinn Féin in the general election, yet finished with one seat fewer than its rival.
It also finished with only 1 percentage point fewer first preference votes than Fianna Fáil, yet its Coalition partner ended up with 10 more seats, 48 to Fine Gael’s 38.
How did that happen? Analysis conducted by The Irish Times of transfers in all 43 constituencies showed that the informal transfer pact between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael resulted in strong transfers between both parties, giving each additional seats in their main target constituencies.
Yet Fianna Fáil benefited more because of better name recognition for its candidates, who tended to finish ahead of Fine Gael rivals. It was also more transfer-friendly than Fine Gael in rural Ireland (but not in Dublin), especially from Sinn Féin.
Another big success story of the election was the gains made by the Social Democrats and the Labour Party. The SocDems in particular were the equivalent of a political sponge for transfers. Sinn Féin voters, as always, showed teak-tough discipline in its transfers and largely followed the instructions of the leadership to transfer Sinn Féin first, and then to the SocDems and People Before Profit.
The voting patterns in three key constituencies tell the story of why some parties exceeded expectations and why others fell short of meeting their targets.
This four-seater left-leaning constituency was targeted for a gain by four parties: Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Social Democrats. Three of the seats being held by parties or individuals were vulnerable: the Greens; People Before Profit; and the one held by Joan Collins.
The eight top candidates in a large field finished within 1,500 voters of each other. Transfers would be crucial.
Elected: SF (2); FF (1); SD (1).
This five-seater was targeted as a gain by Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the 100% Redress Party (Mica). Fine Gael’s, and Thomas Pringle’s, seats looked vulnerable.
A four-seater increasing from three seats. Fine Gael was defending two seats, with the Green seat of Catherine Martin in danger. A target for Fianna Fáil, the Social Democrats and Independent candidates.