POLITICS is a bit like love, it's better to have tried and lost than not to have tried at all, commented Donegal's oldest election candidate at the count centre in Letterkenny.

Councillor Ian McGarvey (74), from Ramelton, was speaking after he polled 766 first preferences in the first count in what was his first outing in a general election as an independent candidate.

Of those 628 came from his heartland of the Milford Electoral Area with over 100 more in Letterkenny.

Speaking to the Donegal News, a subdued Councillor McGarvey said the election had shown how difficult it was to "break" the big political parties.

"The patterns have not changed, the pull of the main parties still prevails despite all the shortfalls in Donegal in areas such as infrastructure, health and jobs," he said.

"The election here clearly shows that any individual who tries to take on the political establishment doesn't stand a chance to make an impact on the system," he added.

Councillor McGarvey, who polled over 2,000 votes when he stood as a Fianna Fáil candidate with Hugh Conaghan back in the '80s, said he would continue to play an active role in local politics.

"I will be more active now than ever, because the issues still have to be addressed. It is regrettable in Donegal that people are forced to walk the streets for cancer services and other lobby groups are left on the margins," he said.

"I still have my council seat and I'll continue to challenge the system, even more so now than ever to address the key issues in Donegal," he added.

Councillor McGarvey said he had no regrets about running but admitted he was disappointed with his showing.

"I'm more disappointed for my supporters who have worked hard over the past few weeks and we don't get any reward at the end of the day," he said.

"However, I take the view that politics is a bit like love, it is better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all. You haven't heard the last of me, in fact I intend to more active now than ever," he warned defiantly.