Main PointsLocal Election CountCounting in the local elections is continuing on Sunday.Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Independent candidates have filled the vast majority of the seats declared so far.Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said “it hasn’t been our day [and] frustration – anger indeed – with Government policy on this occasion has translated into votes for Independents and others”. Read the full report here.The Greens are in with a shout of holding their six seats on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.European Election CountCounting to fill the 14 seats in the European election is under way but the first results will not be announced until after 9pm (Irish time). Some projections from across Europe and tallies from the Irish counts will emerge before that.In the Dublin constituency, tallies suggest Barry Andrews (FF) and Regina Doherty (FG) are polling strongly.In the Midlands-North-West constituency sitting MEPs Luke Ming Flanagan (Ind) and Maria Walsh (FG) have performed well, according to tallies.In the South constituency, incumbents Sean Kelly (FG) and Billy Kelleher (FF) are in contention for re-election.Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe who is in a real battle to save his seat says a general election this year is “inevitable”Limerick Mayoral ElectionA final tally has John Moran (Independent) in front with 16,855 first preference votes (24 per cent).
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NEWS SNAP: All seven seats in Monaghan LEA now filled, reports Seanín Graham. SF’s Sean Conlon elected on seventh count. FG’s Pauric Clerkin – Heather Humphreys’ assistant – is first time candidate and and wins seat without reaching quota. SF’s Bronagh McAree, another new candidate, also wins seat without meeting quota. FG’s David Maxwell retains his seat – again, doesn’t meet quota. SF is bucking national trend – party’s gamble of fielding its highest ever number of candidates in Monaghan has paid off.
Elections are like buses, or are they?
Fine Gael TD Michael Ring believes the Taoiseach should call a general election in October, and build on Fine Gael’s steady local elections performance, writes Fiachra Gallagher.
“I think Fine Gael would be well to go to the country, go to the country in October,” the Mayo TD said, speaking at the Midlands-North-West count centre in Castlebar on Sunday. “Now is the time.”
Mr Ring also praised the role of Mr Harris in rejuvenating the party.He admitted that had there been a leadership battle following Leo Varadkar’s stepping down as Fine Gael leader earlier this year, he would have voted for Paschal Donohue – but Mr Harris’s energy has really impressed him, he said.
“Certainly, Simon Harris, and I have to be very honest here, has done a superb job. He has really lifted us and he lifted the campaign.”
NEWS SNAP: Sinn Féin retained their seat for the South East Inner City LEA after Kourtney Kenny was elected following the 10th count.
And on the other side of the country, the Belmullet LEA is complete. Gerry Coyle (FG) and Paul McNamara (FF) elected on the fourth count. McNamara got a tremendous vote from his native Achill. Sean Carey (FF) elected on the fifth and final count. All three councillors elected in 2019 returned again. Another massive blow for Sinn Féin in Mayo, who had high hopes for Rosaleen Dixon-Lally in Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh’s home constituency. Sinn Féin councillor Daniel Céitinn lost his seat in this LEA after the ninth count.
She didn’t use an ‘I’m Janet Horner, I’m in your corner’ slogan on her posters – or indeed anywhere else – which seems like an open goal missed to me, but she has still been re-elected as this video proves.
NEWS SNAP: Half of the Monaghan county council’s 18 seats have now been filled, reports Seanín Graham. That’s three FG, three FF, two SF and one Independent. All eyes now on the Independent seat vacated by the local authority’s most colourful representative, Hugh McElvaney, who stepped down in Ballybay Clones after 50 years of service. SF hotly tipped to get it.
NEWS SNAP:Sean Murray writes that we are “close to filling the remaining two seats in the Kilmuckridge LEA in Wexford. The SF candidate Declan Kenny has been eliminated so it’s a straight shootout between Paddy Kavanagh (Ind), Willie Kavanagh (FF) and Oliver Walsh (FG) for the last two seats.
NEWS SNAP: The fourth count s underway in Bailieborough Cootehill. Just three votes separate the bottom two candidates – Kristofer Shekelton (II) and Garry Cosgrove (Ind) – with 12 of Carmel Brady’s surplus up for distribution. It’s as close as it can be but the order in which close candidates are eliminated will make or break the count for other candidates still in the race. The question on everyone’s lips here is – what happens if they are tied after the next count? Linda O’Reilly will have the answers presently.
News to gladden the heart in Galway
The count to elect the 18 councillors for Galway City Council has traditionally been like the city’s traffic — frustratingly slow — and this year will not be an exception with a third day of counting now inevitable after a full recount was called in one of the three wards, writes John Fallon.
So far, just five of the 18 councillors have been elected. Current mayor Eddie Hoare (FG) and former mayor Mike Cubbard (Ind) have been elected in Galway City Central, while in Galway City East three of the six seats have been filled with sitting councillors Alan Cheevers (FF), and Independents Declan McDonnell and Terry O’Flaherty elected.
However, a full recount has now been called in this ward with four candidates chasing the remaining three seats. Aisling Burke of Sinn Féin and first-time Labour candidate Helen Ogbu look good to claim seats but with Shane Forde (FG) just 16 votes ahead of sitting councillor Mike Crowe, the Fianna Fáil candidate has sought a recount which Galway City Returning Officer Gary McMahon was ‘an acceptable request’.
A full recount is now due to start at Westside Community Centre and with the count for the six seats in Galway City West not yet started, it’s inevitable the count will continue for a third day.
DLR seats start to fill up
The Labour party has had its second success in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown with the re-election of Cllr Carrie Smyth who topped the poll in the Killiney-Shankill electoral area with 13.4 per cent of the vote.
Ms Smyth said Labour has held its own in the constituency and expects to return five of its six electoral seats. “Unfortunately we’re not going to hold probably, the second seat in Killiney-Shankill”, held by retiring Cllr and outgoing mayor Denis O’Callaghan.
“We’re doing extremely well nationally, a lot higher than the polls were giving us before this election, which was down to 3 per cent or 4 per cent” when the party was actually on around 10 per cent.
Cllr Smyth believed that “with the Simon surge there could be an early general election. People are talking about the 4th of July, quick and snappy,” she laughed.
Fine Gael has elected its sixth councillor after John Kennedy passed the quota on the second count in Stillorgan. All six are incumbents.
Independent Cllr Sean McLoughlin has topped the poll in Dundrum electoral area of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown with 16 per cent of the vote and has been returned on the first count along with Fine Gael Cllr Jim O’Leary.
It is the second poll topping performance for an Independent following the election of Michael Fleming Glencullen-Sandyford with 32.9 per cent of the vote. Both councillors said their election was not a reflection of a surge for Independents but based on their own hard work in their communities.
Cllr Fleming said he worked hard for his community. Mr Fleming who has two butchers shops in Stepaside and Kilmacud has often groups with free burgers and other food.
“I’ve aways supported sports clubs and community groups, long before I became a councillor. I was born and bred in Sandyford and am very much involved in the area.” The poll topper has not ruled out running in the general election, but said he would have to consult his family and supporters.
Historic victory for Sinn Féin in Waterford
Sinn Féin have won their first seat ever in Waterford’s Lismore LEA, as Donnchadh Mulcahy saw off the challenge of Independent candidate Brian Buckley by 39 votes.
Speaking on the victory, Mulcahy said, “I really appreciate the fact that the far west of the county have put their belief in me. It’s a great honour to be the first, it’s something I will remember for a long time. It’s been a long campaign, but now the real work starts.”
All three seats have been filled in Lismore, the first LEA in the county to do so.
John Pratt (Labour), Niamh O’Donovan (Fine Gael) and Donnchadh Mulcahy (Sinn Fein) make up the new council.
I wonder do the teams surrounding the would-be politicians do much training for the possible shoulder lifting that might be expected of them? This short video is worth watching for the three whoos at the end of it alone!
Video: Fine Gael’s Noel O’Donovan is the first candidate to be elected for the Skibbereen West Cork LEA. The former garda topped the poll on the first count and was elected on the fourth count, exceeding the quota of 2,531. Video: David Forsyth pic.twitter.com/N7W340ZzKo
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) June 9, 2024
NEWS SNAP: The first count is in for the Athlone electoral area and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran is officially elected with 3,782 votes. The first count in Kinnegad has also been announced but no candidate has made the quota.
NEWS SNAP: Fine Gael’s Noel O’Donovan is the first candidate to be elected for the Skibbereen West Cork LEA. The former garda topped the poll on the first count and was elected on the fourth count, exceeding the quota of 2,531.
NEWS SNAP: Carina Johnson of Labour wins second seat for the party in Rush/Lusk area in Fingal on third count.
A general election this year ‘inevitable’ Green MEP says
Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe who is in a real battle to save his seat has said that an election this year is “inevitable”, reports Jack Horgan Jones.
At the Dublin count in the RDS this afternoon he was asked if the results had changed the electoral calculus and in response he suggested that a 2024 general election “was inevitable anyway”.
He expressed the view that March 2025 – the latest a general election can be held – was too late and asked “do you really want to stretch it to March of next year”, citing the weather as a key factor.
He said Barry Andrews (FF), Regina Doherty (FG) and Lynn Boylan (SF) would win seats to the European Parliament in the days ahead and then it would be all to play for. He said he felt immigration came up on the campaign trail less often than the media coverage might have suggested.
We have news from Sligo from Marese McDonagh.
First count in the Ballymote Tubbercurry LEA is in and former Sligo footballer Paul Taylor (FF) has topped the poll. Nobody reached the quota on the first count in this seven seater where outgoing councillors Gerard Mullaney (FG) , Dara Mulvey (FG) Michael Clarke (Ind) and Joe Queenan (Ind) are set to be re-elected. A battle for the final two seats is anticipated.
Meanwhile Green Party candidate Johnny Gogan has been eliminated on the sixth count in the Sligo-Strandhill LEA. His votes are now being distributed.
‘Not our day’ – McDonald
The leader of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald has been speaking to reporters at the count centre in the RDS and, it is fair to say, she was pretty downbeat about the results but determined that that party will do better in the future.
“We have made some gains, they are modest and but they’re there,” she said. “It hasn’t been our day [and] frustration – anger indeed – with Government policy on this occasion has translated into votes for independents and others.”
Amid disappointment in Sinn Féin at its election performance, its leader Mary Lou McDonald says her party will “regroup”. She says “I am sorry that we didn’t do better. I know that we can do better and I am determined that we will do better” #elections2024 pic.twitter.com/futpT2Lipx
— Cormac McQuinn (@CormacMcQuinn) June 9, 2024
NEWS SNAP: First count in Meath due in next hour. It is expected it will be Trim MD where independent Noel French, who left the Fine Gael party last year, is expected to top the poll. Louise Walsh Ferriter is there for us.
Nip and tuck to see who will finish on top, Chambers
Speaking on Radio 1, Fianna Fail Minister for State and director of elections for the local elections Jack Chambers said it was not yet clear which party would be the largest in local government
“We are within less than a per cent of each of each other and a lot of this is going to come down to transfers in 5, 6, and 7 seat constituencies and local geography and candidate strategy will play a key role. If you take the wider picture and the last two or three weeks we had Sinn Fein and Fine Gael polling in all of the opinion polls at 20-22 per cent, Fianna Fail was apparently in the mid teens and that was kind of setting the wider analysis of the political picture entering into this local elections [but] we’re nip and tuck with Fine Gael about who will become the largest party local government.”
He said it was “clear that both parties are going to be strong forces across councils in across the country. We’re going to be larger in some and Fine Gael in others but one thing is clear that Sinn Fein have had a devastating result a complete rejection of their message of change.”
NEWS SNAP: Kanturk is the first LEA in Cork County to fill all seats as Fianna Fail’s Ian Doyle, former county mayor, takes the fourth and final seat on the eighth count, writes Liz Dunphy
The battle to be the largest party of local government remains too close to call between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil as the second day of counting continues in local and European elections, writes Jack Horgan Jones.
With just under a quarter of seats filled on local authorities, Fine Gael have 73 seats and a first preference vote share of 23.23 per cent, ahead of Fianna Fáil’s 64 seats with a 22 per cent share of the vote.
Speaking privately, a Fianna Fáil Minister said it was “neck and neck”.
“Neither party can confidently say they will be ahead of the other at this point,” the Minister said on Sunday.
We’re mad for the shoulder hoisting so we are
Video: You gotta love the old ‘up on the shoulders moment’… Sinn Fein’s Colm Carthy, brother of TD Matt – is re-elected on the 4th count to Carrickmacross Castleblaney LEA. Video: @seaningraham22 for the irish times pic.twitter.com/rPYsb1GANI
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) June 9, 2024
NEWS SNAP: Independent Cllr Maeve Yore has been re-elected to Louth County Council, after topping the poll for the Dundalk South local electoral Area, reports Shauna Bowers. After receiving 2,150 of votes, surpassing the quota of 1,513, this will be Cllr Yore’s third term in the chamber.
Women likely to be poorly represented in Donegal
Only the 100 per cent Redress candidate Joy Beard and sitting councillor Niamh Kennedy stand any chance of becoming a female voice on the council in Donegal, writes Stephen Maguire.
First-timer Beard has tallied very well in Inishowen and looks in a strong position to take a seat for the first time.
Sitting independent councillor Niamh Kennedy will have to fight all the way if she is to hold onto her seat in the Donegal Constituency.
A total of just 19 of the 91 candidates for the 2024 local elections in Donegal are women.
A total of four councillors elected in the 2019 were female.
But that number will at least half if tally figures are correct for the 2024 election.
The passing of Fianna Fáil Councillor Noreen McGarvey, the resignation of Sinn Féin’s Marie Therese Gallagher and the decision by Rena Donaghey not to seek re-election, meant that Niamh Kennedy was the only sitting councillor seeking re-election after the term of the last council expired.
Just 12 women have served as Donegal County Councillors with Independent Fianna Fáil candidate Susan McGonagle becoming Donegal’s first female councillor 45 years ago.
Roscommon people make it Independents day
After a long adjudication process over uncertain votes, the first South Roscommon count finally happened at just after midday today, with three sitting councillors returned, reports James Fogarty.
In the Athlone Local Election Area, first time candidate Emer Kelly, who was co-opted on to the council in May 2021, put in a stunning performance, with 1,946 votes, and topping the poll. The 24 old year old occupational therapist said she was delighted and humbled to be elected as the first female councillor elected in the area.
“I am so, so grateful for everyone who came out to vote and gave me this opportunity. We had a fantastic team of canvassers over the last couple of weeks,” the 24 year old independent councillor said. “They put in Trojan work, there was no house in the constituency that we didn’t knock on the door. It was an incredible response, I am so happy and honoured and humbled. I never expected this.”
Veteran councillor Tony Ward was also elected on the first count. A tremendous vote getter, he secured 1786 votes from all around the district. An independent councillor and former cathaoirleach of the county, he was first elected in 2004 and previously topped the poll in 2019, with 1,864.
Cllr John Naughten, brother of Independent TD Denis Naughten, was also elected on the first count with 1,750.
Update from Barry Roche in Cork. Count Staff in the Nemo Rangers GAA clubsay they are noticing a lot of papers are showing No 1 for Sean Kelly and No 2 for Billy Kelleher and vice versa – again comes with a health warning, no idea where the papers are from or how representative they are.
NEWS SNAP: There’s a wrap from the Celbridge LEA in Co Kildare with Labour’s Rupert Heather elected on the 7th count, writes Ronan McGreevy. The four seats have been filled by David Trost (FF), Claire O’Rourke (SD) and Lumi Panaite Fahey (FG), a Romanian woman who only entered the race four weeks ago.
Niall Boylan not ruling out a general election run out
Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan (Dublin) – who took a hardline stance on immigration during the campaign – says he will “probably not” run for the Dáil should he fail to win election to the European Parliament #elections2024 pic.twitter.com/nqK6ouqwIH
— Cormac McQuinn (@CormacMcQuinn) June 9, 2024
No change highly likely in Killarney
From Anne Lucey – A first count is due in Killarney at 2pm and it is highly likely that all seven sitting councillors will be returned to Kerry County Council.
While Maura Healy-Rae’s performance will again be impressive in Killarney, it is another Independent, first-time candidate Martin Grady, who is the surprise story here. Co-opted following the retirement of his father Donal less than a year ago, the firefighter battled to get on the ballot. Guidelines on council employees seeking election were changed on the eve of a court case brought by Grady challenging a Department of Housing circular to Kerry County Council on retained firefighters.
Grady has been outspoken on immigration issues, with his first motion on the council last September calling for Ukrainian refugees who were working while living in hotels to pay towards their accommodation and other costs. He failed to get support.
He has also objected to the use of Killarney’s only homeless facility for Ukrainian refugees and has been outspoken on concerns about the opening of a fifth international protection centre in Killarney, at the Harmony Inn on Muckross Road.
With tallies putting him on some 2,000 first preferences, Grady is set to be 400 votes over the estimated quota of 1,700.
So, where are we now when it comes to the local election counts? Well as of a few minutes ago this was the state of play around the country. You’d have to feel sorry for the politicians, their campaign teams, the count centre staff – and maybe even the journalists – working in Donegal, Meath Laois and Longford right now.
Carlow 10/18Cavan 5/18Clare 17/28Cork City 5/31Cork Co 21/55Donegal 0/37Dublin city 11/63DLR 7/40Fingal 7/40Galway City 2/18Galway Co 17/39Kerry 7/33Kildare 15/40Kilkenny 8/24Laois 0/19Leitrim 18/18Limerick 13/40Longford 0/18Louth 3/29Mayo 13/30Meath 0/40Monaghan 6/18Offaly 3/19Roscommon 2/18Sligo 3/18South Dublin 6/40Tipperary 23/40Waterford 10/32Westmeath 1/20Wexford 7/34Wicklow 7/32FG get more than 50 per cent of the Stillorgan vote
Fine Gael Councillors Barry Saul and Maeve O’Connell were re-elected on the first count in the Stillorgan electoral area of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown after the party’s spectacular 53 per cent vote in the area, writes Marie O’Halloran.
A third Fine Gael candidate, John Kennedy is expected to be elected in this area, while Fianna Fáil and the Greens will also likely win a seat each, with the prospect of a seat for the Social Democrats as well.
Cllr Maeve O’Connell said the party’s 53 per cent “is a phenomenal result” an “it does seem to be a vote for stability and a reinforcement of the centre”. Asked if she believed a general election should be called sooner given the party’s good results, Ms O’Connell said that after a “bit of a rest” they would be out canvassing again, but it was not a decision for her. Pressed on whether that meant she wanted an earlier election she said she had always been known for not wanting to fight an election in the middle of November.
Fine Gael Minister of State Neale Richmond said it had been a really good campaign “given that six months ago we were being written off. Now we will end up as the largest party in local Government and in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown again”. He put their success down to “good candidates, good campaign and strong leadership”. Taoiseach Simon Harris was a “large part of it. He ran a really high energy campaign and gave us a real lift with a clear message – that we know there are challenges, we don’t hide from them and we’re addressing them with the right policies” and action.
In the first count in Dún Laoghaire electoral area Fine Gael Cllr Lorraine Hall was just seven votes shy of the 1,943 quota for election and is expected to be returned at the second count. Green Party Cllr Tom Kivlehan will also be re-elected, coming second in the first count with 1,749 votes. Fine Gael JP Durkan, a former community garda in the area is expected to win a seat and Cllr Mary Fayne will also be returned. People Before Profit-Solidarity Cllr Melissa Halpin is also expected to keep her seat, the party’s only representative on the council currently. Sinn Féin candidate Shane O’Brien, the party’s only hope for a seat in the constituency is unlikely to make it, standing in ninth place after Aontú’s Máiréad Tóibín, sister of her party leader Peadar.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Long, long day ahead in Longford
The first count is under way in Edgeworthstown with a result expected at 1.30pm.
Jessica Thompson has a recap of how things have been progressing.
In Ballymahon LEA, Fine Gael’s Paul Ross is set to top the polls, with 18.7 per cent of the votes, while Fianna Fáil’s Mick Cahill and Pat O’Toole are in second and third with 12.2 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively. All three are outgoing councillors in the area.
The tallies have put outgoing councillor and Independent, Mark Casey (9 per cent) in the running for the fourth seat, with newcomers, Fianna Fáil’s Sean Mimnagh (8.4 per cent) and Fine Gael’s Martin Skelly (8.3 per cent) currently in line for the fifth and sixth seats.
Outgoing Fine Gael councillor and Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Colm Murray, could be at risk of losing his seat. With a vote of 7.6 per cent putting him ninth in the rankings, he’ll be relying heavily on surplus votes from his colleagues.
In Granard LEA, Fine Gael came out on top, with outgoing councillor Garry Murtagh topping the polls, not just in his own MD, but across the county. He received 20.4 per cent of the overall vote.
His party colleague and outgoing councillor Paraic Brady has also done well, shooting into the lead with 17 per cent of the vote and putting him third in the rankings.
Outgoing Cathaoirleach of Granard MD and polltopper of 2019, Turlough McGovern brought in 19.8 per cent of the votes, setting him firmly in place for a seat once again.
Yesterday’s tallies have Fine Gael set to take the remaining two seats in north Longford, with Colin Dalton and Padraig McNamara taking 11.6 per cent and 9.8 per cent of the vote respectively.
Meanwhile, in Longford LEA, Fine Gael’s outgoing councillor Gerry Hagan is in flying form at the count this morning as he looks set to top the polls in Longford MD at 15.6 per cent.
But, with 15.5 per cent of the votes, outgoing Fianna Fáil councillor Martin Monaghan is hot on his heels, and only six votes behind him.
Snapping at the pair’s pair of heels is his party and council colleague, Seamus Butler, with 15.3 per cent of the votes, while Fine Gael’s Peggy Nolan also looks set to secure a seat, with 13.2 per cent.
Yesterday’s tallies put Fine Gael’s Niall Gannon (7.4 per cent), and Fianna Fáil’s Kevin Hussey (6.5 per cent) and Uruemu Adejinmi (6.2 per cent) in with a strong chance of winning the remaining three seats in Longford LEA.
But we’re only on the first count. The distribution of surplus votes in all three areas will tell a tale in the second count.
Wexford’s count centres come alive
The first counts are starting to come in thick and fast in Wexford, with both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael winning a seat each in the first count in Enniscorthy, reports Sean Murray.
Aidan Browne (FF) and Cathal Byrne (FG) exceeded the quota of 1,608 by 1,617 and 2,275 votes respectively.
Fianna Fáil are in the hunt for another seat here in this six-seater with Barbara-Anne Murphy on 1,340 votes. Two independents in John O’Rourke and Jackser Owens are well placed to take seats too with Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Wexford Independent Alliance in the hunt for the last seat.
NEWS SNAP: Barry Heneghan is the first Independent elected to Dublin City Council. He is first time councillor elected on the 5th in Clontarf, reports Olivia Kelly.
‘A real act of citizenship’ to run for office.
Green leader Eamon Ryan reckons Ciarán Cuffe (Dublin) “in the mix” to keep his Euro seat in Dublin; will not know until later about Ireland South where Grace O’Sullivan is fighting to retain hers. He reckons Senator Pauline O’Reilly not in line for election in MNW #elections2024 pic.twitter.com/vxyKLcW5jU
— Cormac McQuinn (@CormacMcQuinn) June 9, 2024
We have news in from Wexford, the Kilmuckridge local electoral area to be precise.
The four incumbents in this four-seater were expected to retain their seats and this may well be the case going by the first count. Independent Mary Farrell has topped the poll on 1,720 votes, exceeding the quota of 1,498, and is the first councillor elected in Wexford. Pip Breen (FF) and Oliver Walsh (FG) are looking strong on 1,461 and 1,371 votes respectively. Willie Kavanagh for Fianna Fáil is in fourth place on 1,101. Only two other candidates contested this constituency – Paddy Kavanagh for the Wexford Independent Alliance on 914 votes and Declan Kenny for Sinn Féin on 921 votes.
‘The main opposition party can be satisfied’
The Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has been quick to point to Sinn Féin’s election disappointment. “This was a party that was apparently just going to waltz into Government,” he said on RTÉ radio. “It’s obviously clear that we’ve parts of the country where they’re in single digits, Dublin probably at 11 (or) 12%. They can’t be satisfied with that performance,” he said. “Of course, they’ll make gains because they’re coming from a very low base of about 9 per cent. I don’t think the main opposition party can be satisfied with a gain like that.”
An (extremely) partial tally of just over 27,000 votes run by a cross-party group in Dublin (also not geographically balanced, so, handle with care) warns Jack Horgan Jones.
Barry Andrews (FF): 13.1 per centLynn Boylan (SF): 10.6 per centNiall Boylan (II): 7.6 per centCiaran Cuffe (GP): 8.4 per centClare Daly (14C): 7.2 per centRegina Doherty (FG): 12.3 per centDaithi Doolan (SF): 3.3 per centSinéad Gibney (SD): 5 per centAodhán Ó Ríordáin (LP): 12.2 per centBríd Smith (PBP): 6.5 per cent
Still a lot of votes being spoiled out there.
Video: Art O’Leary, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, says he is still seeing significant numbers of the same mistakes leading to invalid or spoiled ballots. Video: @Jackhoho pic.twitter.com/0vqcwOoWSP
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) June 9, 2024
This is from yesterday but I was wondering it myself so …
Does anyone have any clue why the laborious process of separating local and European ballot papers falls to count centre workers, when the simpler method is that we, you know, put them in different boxes when we’ve filled them in? 🤷♂️
— Philip Nolan (@philipnolan1) June 8, 2024
Easy like a Sunday morning for Byrne
The Green Party’s Claire Byrne was the first councillor elected in Dublin city on Sunday morning on the sixth count in the southeast Inner City, joining eight other councillors who had past the post by close of business on Saturday, report Olivia Kelly and Jack White.
These were her southside colleagues Hazel Chu and Micheal Pidgeon, with Fine Gael’s Emma Blain and James Geoghegan, and Labour’s Dermot Lacey also elected on the southside. On the northside of the city it was two for Fianna Fáil with Tom Brabazon and Deirdre Heney and one for Fine Gael with Naoise Ó Muirí.
Fianna Fáil’s Dierdre Conroy was the first sitting city councillor eliminated losing her seat after the second count in Kimmage Rathmines late on Saturday.
Counting continues in the 11 Dublin electoral areas in the RDS.
Up, up and away
Cllr Alan Cheevers (FF) and Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) have been re-elected to Galway City East. Video: John Fallon pic.twitter.com/sYroNpjSq6
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) June 9, 2024
NEWS SNAP: Independent candidate Tony Murphy elected on the first count for Balbriggan area in Fingal, reports Martin Wall
Sinn Féin a long way from seats in Tipperary
Count staff at the Tipperary count centre in Thurles are distributing the surpluses of a number of candidates who topped the polls across the eight LEAs.
The councillors were among 20 elected in just 20 minutes just before midnight last night.
They include independent Máirín McGrath in Cahir, Fianna Fáil’s Imelda Goldsboro in Carrick-in-Suir and independent John O’Heney.
Surpluses from Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy in Clonmel, independent Joe Hannigan in Nenagh and Labour’s Fiona Bonfield in Newport.
Those of Fianna Fáil’s Michael Smith in Rosscrea-Templemore and independent Jim Ryan in Thurles are also being redistributed.
Last night’s wins saw an early indication of independents holding their own, and Sinn Féin not doing as well as they expected and will be lucky to keep the two seats it already had.
There is little change to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, while Labour have just one seat so far.
FG and independent first elected in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown
In the first results from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown election count two Fine Gael councillors and one Independent have been elected in the 40-seat local authority, reports Marie O’Halloran.
Fine Gael Councillor Marie Baker has topped the poll with 3,045 votes and been elected on the first count in the Blackrock electoral area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown with just under two quotas.
She is the first councillor elected to the new council and her win reflects the party’s leading performance in the local authority. Fine Gael won 13 seats in the last council and will hold them all and win at least two, if not three more in 2024, based on the tallies.
In Glencullen-Sandyford Independent Michael Fleming has topped the poll with a spectacular 3,687 and two-and-a-half quotas, followed by Fine Gael’s Lettie McCarthy on 1,869 votes, both elected on the first count.
At least the sun is shining on parts of Dublin.
Don’t hold your breath in Cork
“Interesting insights from Ireland South Count Manager, Tim Healy who says all going well on the sorting front, he hopes to have a first count around 11pm tonight but the number of candidates and the size of the ballot paper is adding to the amount of sorting before they can start counting,” reports Barry Roche.
Tim, a veteran of both local, general and European counts, explained that compared to a general election count, a count involving 23 candidates and a ballot paper 64 centimetres long and 16 centimetres wide means the ballot paper is over 3cms than the counting tables.
Tim says that it’s the same number of candidates in Ireland South as in 2019 when the count took some six days to complete after a recheck and a recount when Green Party candidate Grace O’Sullivan and Sinn Féin’s Liadh NI Riada ended up in close contention for the last seat.
The ballot papers this time are 64 cms long which makes them just over three centimetres longer than the sorting tables but because there are so many candidates, what staff are doing is first checking the paper is valid and then sorting them into three groups.
The first group are those with first preferences in the top of the paper – the first ten candidates from Derek Blighe to Billy Kelleher, the second group is those with first preferences at the lower end of the paper from Sean Kelly to Mick Wallace and a third group are Doubtful papers.
The cubby holes where the sorted papers are placed are in two rows – one row for the Blighe to Kelleher votes and the next separate row behind it for the Kelly to Wallace votes as if they didn’t have two rows, sorting staff would have to walk four metres to allocate the sorted votes from Blighe to Wallace.
Instead, those allocating the sorting votes in either row have to shuttle just two metres from Blighe’s box to Kelleher’s box and two metres from Kelly’s box to Wallace’s box with both rows also containing cubby holes for doubtful votes which will be examined later, says Tim.
“Up in the RDS, they probably have around 700 staff on because they have the space but we have only space for 200 counting staff and another 50 staff – four people can’t sit at a table because the ballot papers are too big so we have two people per table seated diagonally.
The consensus is there’s no consensus
RDS Simmonscourt is waking up for Dublin’s MEP race, reports Jack Horgan Jones.
“The consensus around the place is that … there is no consensus. The lack of a reliable tallying operation means that beyond a general view that Barry Andrews (FF) and Regina Doherty (FG) will take seats, the final two are too close to call with any degree of confidence.
“Green Party sources say they’re not feeling optimistic about retaining Ciarán Cuffe’s seat in Dublin – or Grace O’Sullivan’s in Ireland South.
“The Social Democrats are pleased with their outing in the Dublin local elections, pointing to a strong performance on the North Side, especially in donaghmede and Howth Malahide, and in the Greater Dublin Area and commuter belt – as well as city councils in Limerick, Cork and Galway. But there seems to be (at this stage) little hope for a tilt at a European seat in Dublin.
Labour feel they’re in the fight with Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.”
Things are getting under way in Dublin
NEWS SNAP: Seanín Graham is in a “slow Threemilehouse” where “magician/children’s entertainer Colin Waller, who was running on an anti-immigration ticket as an independent candidate in Monaghan, has been eliminated on the second count. No one reached the quota. Total of four people elected to 18 seats across three LEAs since last night.”
‘Not where we want to be’
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane has said the party is “not where we want to be” after indications it has won around 11 per cent of first preference votes based on declarations so far in the local election.
Mr Cullinane warned against underestimating the resilience of the Sinn Féin party and said some council seats would “come down to very complicated transfers”.
“Obviously we expected to do better, I’m not saying that it was a good result for Sinn Féin, of course I’m not,” he told RTÉ radio.
“Absolutely there was no complacency. When we don’t have a good day we accept it. We will have to ask the questions you asked me – why did we not get the votes that we expected to get?”
ELECTION SNAP: Robert O’Donoghue of the Labour Party elected for the Rush/Lusk area in Fingal with a vote of a quota and a half. Tania Doyle, non-party, elected for the Ongar electoral area in Fingal on the first count, reports Martin Wall.
Two LEAs in Kildare done, six to go
Counting has concluded in two of Kildare’s eight local electoral areas (LEA), reports Ronan McGreevy.
The five seats each in the Clane and Maynooth areas were filled just before midnight. Incumbent councillors Brendan Wyse (Fine Gael) in Clane and Naoise Ó’Cearúil (Maynooth) topped the polls and were elected on the first count.
It has been a good election for the Social Democrats in the county. They are confident of getting seven out of their eight candidates elected. Two first-time councillors were voted on to the council for the party.
Claire O’Rourke, a retired HSE counsellor, was elected on the first count in the Celbridge local electoral area (LEA). She received 1,412 votes exceeding the quota of 1,376 and was elected along with Fianna Fáil poll topper David Trost who received 1,687 votes. He was also a first-time candidate.
O’Rourke came to prominence in her opposition to an entrance on to the M4 from Castletown House in Celbridge.
Peter Melrose was elected in the Maynooth LEA. He gained national attention in 2021 when he highlighted that a new housing development, Mullen Park in Maynooth, was sold to a vulture fund. Following a political outcry, the Government introduced a 10 per cent levy on bulk purchases of 10 or more houses over a 12 month period.
Former Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said that having six certainties and possibly a seventh is a “very good day for the party”.
“We knew on the doors that there wasn’t any real surge for Sinn Féin. We were quite hopeful that our estimate was going to be correct for us,” she said. “We were concentrating on our own game.”
It was a good election for the Government parties in the constituency. A Romanian woman who only became a candidate four weeks ago was elected in the Celbridge LEA.
Lumi Panaite Fahey has been living in Ireland for 20 years and was elected on the third count for Fine Gael.
She entered politics as a result of her experience with her son who has additional needs. She is likely to win the seat at the expense of Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin though may get the youngest candidate in the country, 18-year-old James Stokes, elected in the Newbridge area. He was sixth in the tally count with six seats in the area.
Counting resumes in the Naas and Celbridge local electoral areas (LEA) this morning. When it concluded counters at the Punchestown racecourse pavilion will begin the four remaining electoral areas – Athy, Newbridge, Kildare and Leixlip.
But why does it all take so long?
You might find yourself wondering why the counting of votes in Ireland drags on for days and days and days – after all we are a small country and France and Germany will be finished with it all long before we are.
If you are wondering, you are not alone.
The question has been asked for decades and for a brief period in the early part of this century it looked like we were going to leave the pencils behind and move into the digital age.
That never happened.
In 2014 in the aftermath of that year’s European and Local elections, Mary Minihan wrote a fine piece in which she noted that “long after the rest of Europe had wrapped up, the count in Castlebar to fill the European Parliament seats in the Midlands North West constituency was continuing.”
Meanwhile electing MEPs for the South constituency “involved 12 counts spread over four days in Cork,” she said.
By the time they counted everybody on each count, the election staff had handled over one million pieces of paper. “It’s hard to see how that could be quick,” said one observer.
As was the case this time out there were two ballot papers in 2014 – one for the Europeans and one for the local elections. They had to be separated before the counts proper could begin.
“Our quirky system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (PR-STV) in multi-seat constituencies cannot be rushed. Malta is the only other country that uses PR-STV, which is beloved by many but truly understood by few,” Minihan wrote.
An obvious alternative is electronic voting.
But we tried that once and it was not a triumph.
A pilot scheme in 2002 saw the results in three constituencies announced quickly on the night of the election.
Former Fine Gael minister Nora Owen dramatically lost her seat without warning. “I would never want to see it resurrected … I don’t think the Irish people would ever want to go back to electronic voting,” she said.
The e-voting machines were never rolled out nationally due to security concerns and the experiment cost the State €54 million.
And while the time takes might be wearying betimes, we love it all the same.
“What is lost in speed and efficiency is made up for in transparency and a sense of the importance of the voting process,” according to the editorial in yesterday’s paper. “The long count is both an in-depth civics lesson and a piece of political theatre. It can combine the emotional drama of a knockout sporting fixture with the challenge of a knotty mathematical problem.”
And we’re off … at least in some places
Our man in Cork, Barry Roche has arrived at the Ireland South Centre at Nemo Rangers GAA Club where counting has just started. It will be a long day there – and everywhere, really. The count in Cork involves “5 seats, 23 candidates and an electorate of 1, 345,792. Approximately 713,000 votes cast, weighing almost 6 tonnes – 5,818 kilos to be precise – to be counted by 250 counting staff under returning officer, Cork City Sheriff Martin Harvey.”
Meanwhile in Wexford counting is due to resume shortly and as Sean Murray notes there were “no first count from any of the LEAs last night so we are hoping they come in thick and fast from early today. The vote for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael was strong across the county here, with Verona Murphy’s nascent Wexford Independent Alliance in the mix for a few seats.”
And Martin Wall is in Fingal where counting is about to re-commence with just one of the 40 seats filled. That went to Fine Gael’s Ted Leddy in the Castleknock electoral area who was elected on the first count.
Our Political Editor Pat Leahy had a good wrap of what we learned from the first day of the count that was published late last night in case you missed it. It will bring you up to speed pretty quickly.
Done and dusted in Castlebar after all-night count
They are a hardy lot in Mayo, that’s for sure. The Castlebar count went through the night and it has only just finished, reports Paul O’Malley.
Fianna Fáil’s Blackie Gavin was elected on the 11th Count with fellow party member Al McDonnell joining him on the 13th count. Fine Gael’s Ger Deere and independent Michael Kilcoyne were both elected on the first count, which might seem like a lifetime ago for those at the centre.
Independent Harry Barrett, Fine Gael’s Donna Sheridan and Cyril Burke were all elected on the 14th and final count meaning there is no room in the chamber for Stephen Kerr who ran on an anti-immigration platform while incumbent Fianna Fáil councillor Martin McLoughlin also missed out.
Independents and Sinn Féin have a good day out in Leitrim
The number of independents on who will have a seat on Leitrim’s county council has climbed from four to five while Sinn Féin managed to double their number of seats, admittedly from a low base of two up to four, reports Sorcha Crowley.
Fianna Fáil held on to six seats while Fine Gael lost half their seats which will see their presence in the chamber fall from six to just three.
Sitting FG councillor Enda McGloin, comfortably re-elected on the first count in Ballinamore LEA on 1,033 votes, described the party’s performance in north Leitrim as “a complete debacle.” It will be the first time in living memory that there hasn’t been a Fine Gael councillor in the Manorhamilton LEA. Carrick-on-Shannon first-time candidate Maeve Reynolds won a second seat for the party while Ita Reynolds-Flynn, former TD Gerry Reynolds sister, took the third and last Fine Gael seat in Ballinamore shortly before 5am Sunday.
Fianna Fáil had a good day out in Leitrim with stalwart Paddy O’Rourke topping the poll in Ballinamore on 1,434 votes in the first count. Another long-serving Fianna Fáil councillor Mary Bohan was re-elected to the Manorhamilton Local Electoral Area on 925 votes in the third count. Justin Warnock was elected to that LEA on the sixth count. The party won two more seats in the Carrick-on-Shannon LEA thanks to Sean McGowan (912) and Paddy Farrell, who was elected without reaching the quota of 824. Gary Prior won the last seat for Fianna Fáil in the Ballinamore LEA on the seventh count on 984 votes.
Independents have emerged as the second largest grouping on Leitrim County Council. Maths and Agricultural Science teacher James Gilmartin was the first of five independents elected, winning his seat in the Manorhamilton LEA thanks to a massive first preference vote of 1,335.
Enda Stenson and Des Guckian won seats in the Carrick-on-Shannon LEA on the fourth count while Felim Gurn won a seat in Manorhamilton also on the fourth count. Eddie Mitchell won the fifth independent seat on the seventh count in Manorhamilton LEA with 866 votes, without reaching the quota.
Sinn Féin had to wait until 3.07am to see their first candidate deemed elected in the county, with Brendan Barry finally making it over the line with 1,007 votes on the fifth count of the Ballinamore LEA. He was followed by Padraig Fallon on the sixth count of Manorhamilton LEA (1,145 votes) and Cormac Flynn on the seventh count of Carrick-on-Shannon LEA on 841 votes. Roisín Kenny, sister of Sligo-Leitrim Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny, took the last council seat in the Ballinamore LEA on count eight at 4.54am.
It leaves Leitrim County Council finely balanced 50:50 between the two Government parties of Fianna Fáil (6 seats) and Fine Gael (3 seats) versus five independents and four Sinn Féin councillors. Four women were elected, one more than in 2019 and three of them are newcomers. No breakthrough for any parties of the far right or left in Leitrim.
As it stands, only Leitrim Country Council has elected all its councillors with the final seat being taken by Sinn Féin’s Róisín Kenny in the Ballinamore electoral area at 5am. By contrast, the counting of votes across the Local Electoral Areas of Meath and Donegal are yet to begin.
Good morning. So, here we are again. And where is that? Well, almost 24 hours after counting began, less than a quarter of the council seats have been filled, the count for the European elections has yet to start and we are a still full day away from counting the votes in the Limerick Mayoral election.
Never let it be said the Irish electoral system doesn’t get value for money from the hard working counters in the centres across the country, many of whom were sifting papers and totting up numbers well into the early hours of this morning. I’m Conor Pope and I will be manning this live news story for much of today.
Source link : https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/06/09/ireland-local-elections-results-european-election-live-count-updates/
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Publish date : 2024-06-09 10:26:15
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