Clare's newly elected senator claims it would be a 'retrograde step' for the county if Clare had no representation in the upper house of the Oireachtas. First elected to the Seanad in 2011, Martin Conway was reinstated for the fourth time as a member of the administrative panel surpassing the quota on the tenth count yesterday afternoon. The Fine Gael man at the moment stands to be the county's only senator for this term after fellow Ennistymon native Ann Marie Flanagan, Clarecastle's Leonora Carey and Shannon Councillor Tony Mulcahy were unsuccessful in their election campaigns. Conway says the Seanad plays a vital role in the country's political system and says he now offers an extra voice to highlight the major issues and concerns within Clare.