WIPING away tears with the sleeves of their GAA sweatshirts, Michelle Gildernew’s children came to terms with their mother’s shock election defeat.
For 14 years the Sinn Féin woman had successfully been elected and re-elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
With pundits predicting no change despite the challenge from an agreed unionist candidate, there was a quiet confidence among her supporters at the Omagh count.
But their buoyant mood was stripped away as the stacks of ballot papers were laid out, indicating a marginal win for Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott.
Mrs Gildernew, who had held the seat since 2001, appeared subdued as the deputy returning officer called the candidates into the count hall.
A quiet swept across the room before Mr Elliott threw his arms in the air with a beaming smile, triggering a roar of appreciation from UUP supporters.
The former party leader was later formally declared the winner with 23,608 votes – 530 ahead of Mrs Gildernew.
Her mother Geraldine was comforted by Gerry Adams following the announcement just after 5.30am.
She said her tearful grandchildren were used to their mother winning elections.
“They have worked very, very hard and they just weren’t used to this happening, but we will be back and they will be back,” she said.
Mr Adams said Mrs Gildernew was an “exemplary representative” for the constituency.
“When you have the combined forces of unionism and the loyal orders it was obviously very difficult,” he said.
Across the foyer of Omagh Leisure Centre, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt celebrated with his new MP amid multiple camera flashes.
Mr Nesbitt hailed the result as unionism's greatest victory in a decade.
"We have taken a seat off Sinn Féin. That is a signal which is going to go across the whole of Northern Ireland. Unionism is no longer on the back foot,” he said.
Mr Elliott slammed Sinn Fein's abstentionist policy and vowed to "fight for welfare reform" and "taxation issues" at Westminster.
"This constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, the most westerly constituency in the United Kingdom, is not a green constituency," he said.
"It doesn't belong to Bobby Sands, it belongs to the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone and that is who I intend to represent."
Sinn Féin had requested a re-count but this was rejected by deputy returning officer Martin Fox.
In 2010 Mrs Gildernew won by just four votes – a margin reduced to a single ballot paper after a review by the electoral courts.
The outgoing MP, who was supported by senior party figures including Martin McGuinness, vowed: "I am not going anywhere."
A mixture of boos and cheers echoed around the reception hall when the mother-of-three added: "In our hearts this seat will always be Bobby Sands's."
The SDLP's John Coyle (29), who said he had been subjected to cyber-bullying following a television debate, polled 2,732 votes, a little down on the party's performance in 2010.
Turnout, meanwhile, increased in the tightly-fought contest from 69 per cent to almost 73 per cent.
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Name Party Votes % +/-
Tom Elliott UUP 23,608 46.41 n/a
Michelle Gildernew SF 23,078 45.4 -0.15
John Coyle SDLP 2,732 5.4 -2.3
Tanya Jones Green 788 1.6
Hannah Su Alliance 658 1.3 +0.4
Majority: 530 Turnout: 72.6%
