LAST UPDATE | 10 Jun
WE HAD A first Irish MEP of 2024 elected towards the end of Day 2 in the counts for the European elections.
Fine Gael’s Séan Kelly topped the poll to take the first seat in Ireland South.
In Dublin, Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews remains at the top of the table after a long day of counting at the RDS.
Our own European count centre is now live, so you can stay across the latest happenings there.
We’re into the final few counts in the council elections meanwhile – the last seats there should be filled tomorrow. If you want to keep track of who’s been elected in your area, check out our local election tracker.
Counting also started today in the Limerick mayoral election with Independent John Moran in the lead tonight.
Reporting from Jane Moore, Eoghan Dalton, Rónan Duffy, Cormac Fitzgerald and Stephen McDermott.
Stephen McDermott here, kicking off proceedings for you today.
In case you missed it last night, here are the full results of that first count in Dublin:
If you’re wondering what that result means, our Deputy Editor Christine Bohan crunched the numbers last night:
“Barry Andrews (FF) topped the poll with 62,147 votes, closely followed by Regina Doherty (FG) with 61,344. The quota is 75,345,” she wrote.
“However there looks likely to be a dogfight for the final two MEP positions in the constituency, with four candidates jostling for a seat.
“There are just several thousand votes separating Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin (35,431), Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party (32,204), Labour’s Aodhán Ó Riordáin (30,733) and Niall Boylan of Independent Ireland (30,637).”
It being a European election weekend, results are also in for countries other than Ireland.
Far-right parties won in many countries, coming out on top in France, Italy and Austria; the AfD also came second in Germany – while hard-right candidates also performed well in the Netherlands.
It’s been speculated this morning that the European Parliament’s two far-right groups – Identity and Democracy (ID) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) – will united to create a supergroup for the next term.
But there also seems to be general agreement that it’s been a good weekend for outgoing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who wants another five-year mandate.
The European People’s Party (EPP), remains the parliament’s biggest grouping and experts believe she’ll be able to get the extra votes she needs to secure a second term.
Turning to the local elections, most of the seats across the country have now been filled.
By our latest calculations, Fianna Fáil (205 seats) and Fine Gael (215 seats) are neck-and-neck with around 120 seats left to count.
Sinn Féin, who most people agree had a bad weekend, are up 10 seats on their total from 2019 – which is still an increase, but far short of the 200 or so seats they were hoping to claim this time.
Our Political Editor Christina Finn looked wrote this piece this morning about where it went wrong for the party and where it needs to up its game.
In Dublin City Council, the largest council in Ireland and the country’s second-largest elected body, Fine Gael is going to be the biggest party.
But in a bit of a surprise there, the Social Democrats look set to come in second.
The elections also saw huge gains for independent candidates.
One of the stories of the campaign was the emergence of Independent Ireland, a party which only formed last November.
Radio presenter and podcaster Niall Boylan, one of the party’s most high-profile candidates, is among those battling for the final European seat in Dublin.
He came in sixth on the first count, but was just 96 votes behind Labour’s Aodhán Ó Riordáin in fifth.
The party has also performed quite well locally, claiming 21 seats so far across the country.
Counting back underway in the Midlands-North-West constituency in Castlebar, Co Mayo, though some concerns expressed that a first count might not come today. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/1OC9rw03Sx
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) June 10, 2024
Our reporter Diarmuid Pepper is in the Castlebar Count Centre where counting has resumed this morning for the Midlands North West constituency.
Though Diarmuid is reporting that we may not get a first count today.
Midlands North West was the first constituency to elected an MEP back in 2019, when Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness topped the poll there and was elected on the first count.
McGuinness is now an EU Commissioner, and the vast constituency is highly competitive. It will likely be a fair few days before things are settled.
Now, with the local results winding down and the European counts in full swing let’s turn our attention the other big contest – Limerick.
Counting is now underway in the Limerick mayoral elections. Spare a thought for any counters who may have sore heads after Limerick easily beat Clare yesterday evening to claim their sixth Munster Senior Hurling title in a row.
Whoever takes office in Limerick will be granted executive powers and the ability to ”personally define and oversee” much of the strategy for the council.
As Mairead Maguire reports, a cross-party tally on Saturday had Independent candidate John Moran racing ahead on 24%, with 16,855 first preference votes.
It’s an eight percentage point lead on his nearest rival Helen O’Donnell, also an Independent, who is on 16%.
Of course, these are tallies, and there is still potential for three-horse race, with Fianna Fáil’s Dee Ryan gaining on O’Donnell with 10,315 first preferences (14%).
We have a a reporter Shane Carroll over at the Fingal count centre in the The National Show Centre near Swords.
Counting has resumed there this morning, with a number of recounts underway.
Three recounts have to be carried out. They are:
In Blanchardstown/Mulhuddart, Fine Gael called for a recount after they missed out on a seat by 20 votes. Councillors from People Before Profit and the National Party were elected ahead of them.
The recounts should be completed by today.
Ireland South has begun counting here on day two. Fingers are crossed for a lunchtime first count (don’t hold your breath). Billy Kelleher MEP has just arrived here and he spoke to the media. He will likely be just behind Sean Kelly in second place in the Ballot. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/1ntBkWnGUJ
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Niall O’Connor is reporting from Nemo Rangers in Cork again this morning where the Ireland South count is in full swing.
Niall says that there are hopes for a first count by late lunchtime, but don’t hold your breath. He has been speaking to sitting MEP Billy Kelleher, who will likely retain his seat. Says Kelleher:
“It was a very interesting election because there was a whole debate on the extremes left and right where the centre would reside in modern Irish politics.
“I think that was answered emphatically yesterday in local elections and in the European elections where people looked at the alternatives and wanted to go back to the centre for stability.
“They were making sure there was sound politics, proactive politics and engagement with Europe and I think that was a key message.
That was a message that Fianna Fail were trying to resonate in Ireland and across Europe during the campaign itself. I think that did land with the people in terms of them looking at the alternatives and realising for Ireland’s position in Europe to have stability and mainstream parties like Fianna Fail that reside in the centre.
Kelleher was emphatic that he would not be supporting the presidency bid of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
I’ve been very clear throughout this election, I said in advance and during the election and I am stating after the election that I will not be supporting Ursula von der Leyen.
Incidentally, in case you were wondering where exactly the GAA Club ‘Nemo Rangers’ got is name, the club was formed when two clubs ‘Nemo’ and ‘Rangers’ banded together in 1922.
As for the name ‘Nemo’, the club history notes:
“The origin of the original Nemo team begins around 1910, when the pupils of the North Monastery were anxious to play hurling against the wishes of the school principal, who preferred to promote rugby in the school.
“A lay teacher, Seamus O hAodha invented the name Nemo, as he wanted the letters NM in the title and as latin was taught in the school, he came up with the name Nemo from the latin word meaning “nobody” – perhaps because they were outlawed by the powers that be.
“Pupils from the South Parish / Turners Cross area who were attending the North Monastery, then adopted the name and set up the Nemo club in 1915.”
So there you have it, just in case you were thinking there was an old Irish revolutionary named Nemo.
Count 2 has finished in Dublin, with no one elected.
Independent candidate Conor Murphy was eliminated on the last count, and his 1,065 votes were redistributed.
The votes have spread across the candidates, with Brendan Ogle picking up 133, the single biggest amount (it won’t be enough to get him anywhere in the running).
The state of the main candidates in contention is now:
In Midlands North West, our reporter Diarmuid Pepper has been talking to the leader of the far-right Irish Freedom Party Hermann Kelly.
It has not been a strong showing for the IFP, which ran 30 candidates in the local elections and has only managed to get one elected (Glen Ward in the Palmerstown-Fonthill LEA).
This echoes the fortunes of the other far-right parties, who will get either no one or just one candidate elected. Independents have had a bit more success.
Speaking today, however, Kelly was bullish, focusing instead on Sinn Féin’s poor showing.
He said many Sinn Féin votes have been lost to the “new nationalist conservative movement”.
While he said the movement is “very disparate at the minute” and other “smaller movements may be all over the place”, he remarked there is a “general trend towards economically liberal, socially conservative, nationalism”.
Kelly also referenced the fact that he was cheering on the elections of Independents Gavin Pepper and Malachy Steenson, saying he is “good friends and closely politically aligned” with Pepper.
In terms of Steenson he said “we’ll all very close”.
As for his own candidacy in the Midlands-North-West constituency, Kelly said getting 4-5% of first preference votes would be success for him.
With one councillor elected out of 30 candidates, however, it is hard to position today as any sort of success for his party.
Political Editor Christina Finn reporting from the RDS
The count is continuing in the Dublin constituency, with the 3rd Count revealing no major movement. Andy Heasman has been eliminated.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin stopped by to support his party’s candidate Barry Andrews, who topped the poll in first preference votes last night.
Martin said he was more focused on his own party today when reporters asked him about Sinn Féin’s election results so far.
The Tánaiste said Fianna Fáil had made gains but also some losses, highlighting that in particular, lessons need to be learned and a more detailed look at how it can get the vote out in Dublin more.
He told the media that “opinion polls are not elections”, and criticised the over-reliance on polls to set the political narrative.
Martin also said he would choose the person his party wants to become the next EU Commissioner in a matter of weeks, but was coy about giving any hints away, despite questions being posed to him about Finance Minister Michael McGrath.
He played down the suggestion that his party would put two candidates forward – a man and a woman – as has previously been asked for by EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.
He was also asked about the prospect of when the bye-elections should be held, depending on what TDs get a seat in Europe, telling the media that he “loves” bye-elections.
‘Opinion polls are not elections’ — Micheál Martin has said as he arrives into the RDS. pic.twitter.com/tiHzbXFJeH
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) June 10, 2024
(This is Cormac Fitzgerald reporting, by the way. I took over from Stephen at some undisclosed point in the past)
Niall O’Connor has some informed predictions coming from Ireland South. He has Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly securing the first seat, Billy Kelleher taking the second, with Independent Michael McNamara taking the third and Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion for the fourth.
After that, it could be Mick Wallace, John Mullins or Grace O’Sullivan and possibly Cynthia Ní Murchú for the fourth.
Still very much all to play for. Incidentally, first count not expected until early evening at this stage.
Informed predictions for Ireland South:
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
The vote will likely go this way:
- Sean Kelly
- Billy Kelleher
- Michael McNamara
- Kathleen Funchion
And then big bun fight for the last seat Mick Wallace, John Mullins or Grace O’Sullivan and possibly Cynthia Ní Murchú. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/lraSGJQkQR
Casting our eyes to the continent for a moment, and there have been some political earthquakes as the EU election results start rolling in.
The biggest news is French president Emmanuel Macron calling a snap election after the far-right trounced his centrist alliance in EU poll projections.
Here are some of Macron’s own party before and after he made the announcement (the video is in French, but you’ll catch the gist):
Réalisé sans trucage pic.twitter.com/5jUQjCGcbt
— Paul Larrouturou (@PaulLarrouturou) June 9, 2024
Meanwhile, in Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also announced he was resigning after his Flemish Liberals and Democrats party (Open VLD) was defeated.
In other countries, while there has been a far-right surge, it is not at the level some polls predicted. Although France and Germany have both seen far-right eurosceptic parties make serious gains.
The results are in from Count 3 in Dublin. Here is how Independent Eamon Murphy’s transfers were sorted and the current state of the candidates:
Aisling Considine of Aontú received the biggest share of Eamon Murphy’s transfers.
You can follow the latest updates from the counts on our trackers here.
Might have a first count in Ireland South sooner than we thought…
It’s getting closer for the first count here at Ireland South. The candidates’ reps are checking the “doubtfuls”.
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Those bundles on the tables are counted first preferences. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/FexjpH0zBF
Good afternoon! Rónán Duffy here to take over for the next part of the afternoon.
With the focus shifting to the European elections today, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern in Ireland South and Midlands-North West with no counts yet completed in those constituencies.
In Dublin, last night’s first count gave us the best indication yet of who will take the four seats. We’ve had several eliminations today of the bottom candidates, but there are a lot more counts to come before a seat is confirmed.
Even before that though, as the Dublin count progresses we’ll have our eyes trained on how the transfers are going. Barry Andrews (FF) and Regina Doherty (FG) haven’t yet reached a quota but have probably done enough already to be safe.
Everyone else though will need help from eliminated candidates further down the list.
In the local elections, we have just over 110 seats left to be filled out of the 949 across the country.
This is how the split of seats is looking across the parties, with Fine Gael a nose ahead of Fianna Fáil in the race to be the biggest party in local government.
I was taking a look this morning at the possible reasons why the two largest parties in government have done so well.
Local elections can often be tricky for governments but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are far and away in the lead.
In a finding which points to the importance of canvassing, polling conducted by Ireland Thinks on polling day found that that respondents were much more likely to have met candidates from the two parties than any other party.
Driving home the importance of familiarity, the poll also found that support for the specific candidate over their party was much stronger among Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters than it was for Sinn Féin.
The fourth count in the Dublin European Parliament constituency is in.
This count consisted of the distribution of the 2,092 votes from Andy Heasman of the The Irish People.
Niall Boylan (Independent Ireland) has received 144 transfers from Heasman, seeing him move just ahead of Aodhán Ó Ríordáin into fifth position.
The top four spots in this four-seater remain unchanged. Independent Stephen O’Rourke has now been eliminated and his 2,475 votes will be distributed.
Back to the locals, where new councillors are being confirmed all the time. It’s not quite the rush we saw yesterday as we come towards the end of the count but we’re getting there.
In South Dublin County Council Ciarán Ahern (Lab) has been elected in the Rathfarnham-Templeogue LEA.
What an honour to be elected to represent my hometown of #Rathfarnham #Templeogue 😄🌹 https://t.co/zOIXmThE4s
— Ciarán Ahern (@ciaranahern) June 10, 2024
The local area was a great result for Labour where incumbent Pamela Kearns was also re-elected and she and Ahern combined took a combined 27.9% of the vote.
Our News Correspondent Niall O’Connor should be paying rent to Nemo Rangers GAA such is the length of time he’s spent in the Cork count centre since Saturday.
We’re still waiting on a first count in the Ireland South European Parliament constituency and it seem we may be waiting a bit longer.
There were suggestions this morning that we may got a first count at 12pm, then the word was that it was going to be 4pm.
Niall has now been on to share some bad news that the count “has been pushed back to 5pm or 6pm”.
You may have to wait for some actual results from the area, but Niall has shared what the talk is down in Cork about how it will go.
Informed predictions for Ireland South:
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
The vote will likely go this way:
- Sean Kelly
- Billy Kelleher
- Michael McNamara
- Kathleen Funchion
And then big bun fight for the last seat Mick Wallace, John Mullins or Grace O’Sullivan and possibly Cynthia Ní Murchú. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/lraSGJQkQR
An update here from Galway County Council, Bill Breathnach writes:
In the Conamara South LEA, Tomás Ó Curraoin has been re-elected.
He is a member of Republican Sinn Fein but his party does not recognise the legitimacy of the state so aren’t a registered party and therefore he has no party affiliation listed on the ballot.
A really bad performance from FF locally. They probably would have taken a second seat if they hadn’t run three candidates. Incumbent Daithi O Cualain (FF) has lost his seat and will be replaced by Michael Leainde of Independent Ireland who ran on a manifesto of increasing the availability of graves in the area. He is one of two undertakers elected in this LEA.
The 2,475 votes from Independent Stephen O’Rourke have now been spread around.
The biggest single beneficiary was Malachy Steenson (Ind) who received 293 transfers but it hasn’t made much of a difference to the overall standings, you can follow the count here.
Hello! It’s Jane Moore here. Thanks for staying with us so far today.
I’ll be bringing you all the updates over the next while. As you’ve just heard, we’ve had the fifth count in the Dublin with no one yet to be elected.
This is how things look as it stands:
Our reporter Shane Carroll says there were confusing scenes in Blanchardstown last night.
The recheck ongoing is disputing 20 votes. Fine Gael appealed for the recount after Steve O’Reilly lost his seat before the 12th count had officially been declared, according to incumbent councillor John Burtchaell (People Before Profit – Solidarity).
Burtchaell told us it is “very disappointing to see the far-right and fascists challenging for council seats”.
“If Fine Gael lose out to fascists, there would be some poetic justice. The conditions people are experiencing is exactly what allowed the far right to grow,” he said.
They’re reaping what they sow.
“If Fine Gael lose a council seat, it will be a small price to pay. Working class communities are facing the real price.”
Three days in and we finally have a first count from the Ballina LEA – the only remaining electoral area that was awaiting a count.
John O’Hara (FG) has been elected with 2,374 votes, and Mark Duffy (Ind) has been elected with 2,325 votes.
Mark Duffy NP of Ballina after being elected on the 1st count.
— Mid West Radio (@radiomidwest) June 10, 2024
John O’Hara also elected on the first count.
O’Hara’s surplus of 605 will now be distributed. pic.twitter.com/EtLA2ocbcA
Counting has finished in the Enniscorthy LEA and all six seats there have now been filled.
The successful candidates are:
#LocalElections2024
— Wexford County Council (@wexfordcoco) June 10, 2024
Count 8 results - Enniscorthy LEA pic.twitter.com/zLyEPi7EbP
Our reporter Diarmuid Pepper has an update on the Midlands-North-West count, and it seems we may be waiting a bit longer than previously thought…
It had been thought that a first count in Castlebar in the Midlands-North-West constituency could come at around 5pm, but this timeline has now been pushed back to between 7-9pm, with the returning officer commenting that there is a lot of work to be done.
The 2,723 votes from An Rabharta Glas candidate Robin Cafolla have been spread around.
Ciarán Cuffe (GP) was the single biggest beneficiary, receiving 451 transfers, but it hasn’t made much of a difference. Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is now just 46 votes behind Independent Niall Boylan.
The National Party’s Patrick Quinlan has now been eliminated.
Meanwhile, in Ireland South, our reporter Niall O’Connor has been speaking to Sinn Féin candidate Kathleen Funchion TD.
She is expected to be fourth in the first count, which is still ongoing. She says she’s “feeling hopeful”, but wants to remain cautious.
Kathleen Funchion, Sinn Fein TD and candidate for Ireland South. She is expected to be fourth in the first count which is still ongoing. She has called into the count centre and had a brief chat with me for @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/UXHhUwjEcY
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
My colleague Shane Carroll reports from the Fingal count centre, where counting has finished in the Blanchardstown LEA and all five seats have been filled.
Sinn Féin’s Brenda Hanaphy was the first to be elected on the ninth count.
In the last few moments, the twelfth count concluded and the four other seats have been declared.
Fianna Fáil’s JK Onwumerah, People Before Profit’s John Burtchaell, Labour’s Mary McCalmey and the National Party’s Patrick Quinlan have all been elected.
Quinlan is the first candidate to be elected for the National Party.
My colleague Bill Breathnach has some brief analysis of the Dublin European election after Count 6 saw transfers of Robin Cafolla distributed.
Although appearing on the ballot as non-party, Cafolla is a member of Rabharta Glas, a left-wing eco-socialist splinter group that broke away from the Greens after it entered government.
The biggest bulk of his transfers have gone to the Green Party, perhaps unsurprisingly.
The main thing of note is how few transfers Labour has picked up in this count, with PBP, the SocDems, Clare Daly and the Greens receiving more.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin will need to do better from left-wing transfers if he wants to overtake the Greens for fourth place and maintain his lead over Clare Daly.
Six-seater Castleknock is the latest LEA to finish counting, with Fianna Fáil’s Eimear Carbone-Mangan claiming the last available seat in the last few moments.
The other candidates to be elected there were Ted Leddy (FG), John Walsh (Lab), Siobhan Shovlin (FG), Ellen Troy (Aon) and Ruth Coppinger (PBP).
Diarmuid Pepper reports from the Midlands-North-West count in Castlebar:
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan told reporters in Castlebar at the Midlands-North-West count that it looks like he and Barry Cowen will be the top two after the first count.
He adds that Peadar Tóibín and Ciaran Mullooly seem to be “neck and neck” but that “we’ll see what happens” when all the transfers are accounted for.
Flanagan also remarks that his extensive canvassing, “seven days a week for 14 hours”, is what is giving him the edge.
He adds that Barry Cowen “got around” and seemed to “ignore the three candidate strategy” of Fianna Fáil.
Meanwhile, Flanagan said he expects “another three days, and maybe a little longer” before the count is over and adds that there may be a recount.
He also remarks that it is “hard” to know what the message for national government is off the back of the local and European elections.
“It’s like getting on to a county team, once you’re on it, it’s harder to get off it that it is to get on it in the first place, and I think that’s the same with local politics,” said Flanagan.
I wouldn’t rule out Sinn Féin doing very, very well in the next general election.
Flanagan also says the results so far might make Fine Gael “a little bit complacent and deluded as to the idea that Simon Harris is some sort of saviour and I think the general election will show that he isn’t”.
He also remarks that it’s “brilliant that barely any of these extreme-right candidates have been elected”.
“Even better, many of our new Irish people of colour have gone out and got elected and they’ve hammered the far-right,” said Flanagan.
“The message is, Ireland as a tolerant place, but one thing Ireland isn’t tolerant about is a lack of housing, a lack of healthcare, a lack of teachers in our schools, and we need to resolve that.”
All seven seats have now been filled in SDCC’s Rathfarnham-Templeogue LEA.
The successful candidates are:
All seats are now filled in Rathfarnham Templeogue following Count 11 with Ronan McMahon (Ind), Pamela Kearns (Lab), Ciaran Ahern (Lab), Justin Sinnott (SD), Lynn McCrave (FG), Yvonne Collins (FF) and David McManus (FG) all elected. pic.twitter.com/6WBkwHtrxx
— South Dublin County Council (@sdublincoco) June 10, 2024
My colleague Shane Carroll has been speaking to newly-elected People Before Profit councillor John Burtchaell. He said he was “delighted to have won a seat” and “retain a social seat in Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart”.
“It is very important that we were elected to oppose the far-right, they will be opposing the council. They will be opposing the working class communities. We need to build a movement to drive back the toxic poison they’re injecting into our communities.”
Delighted to be elected by the people of Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart to Fingal County Council
— Cllr. John Burtchaell-Socialist Party & Solidarity (@BurtchaellJohn) June 10, 2024
Thanks to all who helped the campaign in the last few weeks
National Party also got elected however me and @RuthCoppingerSP will fight to keep the establishment and far-right in check pic.twitter.com/Z5n09GcouG
The 2,862 votes from the National Party’s Patrick Quinlan have been allocated.
Rebecca Barrett – who is also running under a National Party banner – received the largest share of his transfers at 729, with other right-wing candidates like Irish Freedom Party’s Diarmaid Ó Conaráin, Independent Malachy Steenson and Philip Dwyer of Ireland First also benefitting.
Despite this though, Rebecca Barrett has been eliminated. Her 3,908 votes will now be distributed.
Niall O’Connor, our man on the ground in the Nemo Rangers GAA Club count centre, has heard that the first count result in Ireland South has now been pushed back to 6pm.
However, returning officer Martin Harvey has told him: “There’s a lot of paper out on the tables”.
The wait continues.
It does seem to be all go in Nemo Rangers GAA Club for Ireland South. Here are some photos:
Here’s how things look in Dublin now after Count 7 saw the National Party’s Rebecca Barrett eliminated:
You can follow all the latest developments on the count here.
Not much spice to be found in Tubbercurry, but Sligo-Strandhill LEA has elected the county’s first Labour representative in a decade.
Nessa Cosgrave was elected on the tenth count, along with Arthur Gibbons (SF) and Gino O’Boyle (PBP).
They join Declan Bree (Ind), Tom MacSharry (FF) and Fergal Nealon (FG) to fill the six-seater LEA.
Sligo County Council has now filled all 17 of its available seats. You can find out who else has been elected on our election tracker here.
At the Midlands-North-West constituency count in Castlebar, former RTÉ correspondent and Independent Ireland candidate Ciaran Mullooly says he’s pleased with how the count is going.
“We’re going to be in the mix for the fifth seat.”
He says it’s “obvious” that Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Maria Walsh, Barry Cowen, and Nina Carberry have polled well.
However, he said he is most interested in the performance of Sinn Féin, particularly Michelle Gildernew, and Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín and that it’s crucial for his chances to stay ahead of Tóibín.
A veteran of covering election counts with RTÉ, Mullooly said “he hates election counts” and recalled being at counts for five or six days on more than one occasion.
However, he adds there is a “certain satisfaction in coming in and looking at a bundle of votes”.
Mullooly also had a “word of warning” for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil: “This is very different to a general election; people came out largely to support people they know in the local community, and then they voted accordingly in Europe.”
Mullooly also said it was “very difficult” to campaign across the 15 counties in the constituency and said an extra constituency would be more representative.
He also complimented party colleague Niall Boylan on his result so far in Dublin and said he respects anyone who stands before the electorate.
While we wait for the first count from Limerick, the National Party candidate Rebecca Barrett’s votes have now been spread around in the Dublin count.
Niall Boylan has been the main beneficiary from Barrett’s transfers, receiving 689. Ireland First’s Philip Dwyer received 397 transfers, while the Irish Freedom Party’s Diarmaid Ó Conaráin received 369.
Left-wing independent and trade-union activist Brendan Ogle has now been eliminated.
State of the Poll after Count 1 - Mayor of Limerick Election:
— Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) June 10, 2024
-No candidate has reached the quota.
-Colm Ó'Móráin - EXCLUDED - Surplus of 530 votes to be distributed.
More: https://t.co/FXrVa5q6XN#DEMLimerick #LimerickCount pic.twitter.com/X1F4c2aCCr
Independent candidate John Moran has topped the poll in the first count of the Limerick mayoral election, with 18,308 votes.
Helen Moran, another Independent candidate, is not too far behind with 12,903 votes. Fianna Fáil’s Dee Ryan is next on 11,785, followed by Fine Gael’s Daniel Butler with 10,190, while Sinn Féin’s sitting TD Maurice Quinlivan is in fifth place on 8,331 votes.
Colm Ó’Móráin has been eliminated and his 530 surplus will now be distributed.
My colleague Rónán Duffy has more here.
A little more about Brendan Ogle, who’s just been eliminated in Dublin.
A veteran trade unionist, Ogle became a national figure during the anti-water charges protests of 2014-2015.
Ogle was a first time EU candidate – and his campaign focused on ‘putting Dublin at the heart of Europe’.
During his campaign he told us his priority was that workers rights widely available across Europe “be extended to Ireland”.
In spite of his name recognition, he failed to compete with the various other high-profile left-wing figures on the ballot.
His transfers, however, may give an important indication of how the preferences of left-leaning voters could determine who gets the final seat.
According to The Journal’s Bill Breathnach
“If Clare Daly has any hope of retaining her seat, she will need to attract very strong transfers from Ogle and others in the left of centre pack.
“O Riordain of Labour will also be hoping to attract preferences from similar sources in order to leap-frog the Greens.
“The transfers he has received so far from the left has been disappointing but it is still too early to interpret this as a definitive trend.”
Over at the Ireland South count centre, Independents 4 Change candidate Mick Wallace has arrived and he’s been speaking to my colleague Niall O’Connor.
“I really don’t have any clue where I’m going to finish,” he says about the ongoing count.
He also says that based on the issues that were raised with him while he was campaigning, “half of the people of Ireland are struggling to make ends meet” due to the cost of living crisis.
Mick Wallace has arrived at the Ireland South count centre in Cork. He gave his view as the first count result nears. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/F0PsgCeWma
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Returning our attention to the local elections, here’s how things stand for the parties at the moment, with 888 seats filled:
If you’re wondering how things are looking in your local area, you can find the latest updates on our election tracker here.
Have you ever wondered if there’s anything that connects Mick Wallace and Johnny Logan? Of course you have.
Well wonder no more. My colleague Bill Breathnach tells me that Mick Wallace is closely related to the late Nicky Wallace, who was considered one of Ireland’s most foremost tailors and menswear designers.
The Wexford man’s first big success was making the white suit that Johnny Logan wore for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1987, when he won it for a second time.
So there you go.
Muiris O’Cearbhaill reports from the Dublin count at the RDS:
We’re onto the ninth count at the RDS for the Dublin constituency, where Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews is still the closest to the 75,345-vote quota for being elected to the European parliament.
Despite counts from Dublin coming quicker compared to other constituencies, all signs are indicating that no one will be elected for Dublin by tonight, at least, as Andrews has headed home.
Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan and Green Party incumbent Ciarán Cuffe are still waiting to hear the latest counts, as both of their positions in this race are heavily reliant on transfers.
Counting could continue until late this evening, with some of the count staff telling The Journal that they should have brought a sleeping bag.
My colleague Niall O’Connor has an update from the Ireland South count, and it’s looking even later for that first count:
It now looks like 9pm for first count. Returning officer Martin Harvey says the length of the ballot paper is causing problems, but also an electorate in the millions.
Sources here tell me there was some talk of bolstering the count staff with count staff from the County Council, but that has been disturbed due to a recount in Cobh LEA.
Doubtfuls have been examined but the count staff here are being given regular breaks also as the work is intense.
Aontú leadar Peadar Tóibín tells reporters at the count in Castlebar that “Sinn Féin will be crestfallen” with their performance so far.
“Just on the basis of the local election figures, there are serious questions for Mary Lou’s leadership at the moment.”
He adds that he has spoken to people at count centres and that Sinn Féin supporters “are questioning whether Mary Lou should continue on as leader”.
“I’m hearing people say Pearse Doherty’s name more and more,” said Tóibín.
He also claims “Mary Lou McDonald has been a flip flop shop over the last while and she has forgotten her base in many ways”.
Tóibín adds that if “Sinn Féin do not take a seat here at Midlands-North-West, I think they’re going to have great difficulty even retaining their Dáil seats in the next general election in this location”.
He also references a “honeymoon” period Fine Gael is enjoying under Simon Harris but remarks that “every honeymoon ends”.
Adds that if he “were a betting person, I would be putting my money on a November election for sure”.
As for his own chances, Toíbín says “it’s in the lap of the Gods” and that “it’s all to play for”.
Meanwhile, he criticises “celebrity candidates” and hits out at Nina Carberry for her lack of interaction with national media during the campaign.
The 4,052 votes from left-wing independent and trade-union activist Brendan Ogle have been distributed.
The transfers here are interesting to say the least, with Independent Malachy Steenson benefitting the most with 506 transfers, followed very closely by People Before Profit candidate Bríd Smith with 504 transfers.
The top four doesn’t look very different, with a gap of over 600 now separating Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan and Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.
The Irish Freedom Party’s Diarmaid Ó Conaráin has been eliminated and his votes will now be distributed.
Results of the 9th count for the Dublin constituency at the RDS @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/eLRkkeEc8a
— Muiris O’Cearbhaill (@muirisoc) June 10, 2024
People Before Profit candidate Ruairí Fahy has been eliminated after the second count in the Limerick mayoral election.
After Colm Moráin was eliminated in the first count, Independent Helen O’Donnell received the most transfers from his 530 votes with 88. She’s still sitting in second place behind frontrunner John Moran.
The Independent candidate is way out in front on 18,363, but still a long way away from the 39,873 quota.
You can read more here.
Public Statement After Count 2 - Mayor of Limerick Election
— Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) June 10, 2024
More: https://t.co/FXrVa5q6XN#DEMLimerick #LimerickCount pic.twitter.com/WL2wLJkTYA
Ireland South Fine Gael candidates John Mullins and Seán Kelly having a chat at the Nemo Rangers count centre.
NOW THAT THE 18 seats on Galway City Council have been filled, let’s look at how the parties fared in this weekend’s vote.
What jumps out immediately from the result is the disappearance of the Green Party, which lost the two seats it had won in 2019.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil has lost its top spot on the Council, dropping from five seats down to four while Fine Gael has gained a seat, moving up to four after securing three last time round.
Another noteworthy development is that Sinn Féin has entered the fray by winning one seat where it had none before.
Labour and the Social Democrats have both made gains. Labour has gone from one councillor to three and the Social Democrats have gone from one seat to two.
The number of independent councillors has fallen from six down to four.
Meanwhile in Dublin, Sinn Féin’s candidate Lynn Boylan has been knitting to pass the time as the counting continues in the RDS.
I wonder what she’ll have made by the time the final results are in…
Some more analysis now from my colleague Bill Breathnach after the ninth count in Dublin:
Unexpectedly, right-wing independent Malachy Steenson has been the biggest recipient of transfers from Brendan Ogle, receiving 506 preferences.
Things do not look good for Clare Daly according to this count. She would have been hoping to obtain far more left-leaning transfers from Ogle. However she has received slightly less than what Aodhán Ó Ríordáin of Labour has received.
Ó Ríordáin will be reasonably happy that as a candidate more on the ‘soft’ left, he is attracting more transfers than Daly is from ‘harder’ left candidates. This could prove important when Bríd Smith of PBP is eliminated.
We’re nearly there!
Well, in the local elections anyway. 900 seats have now been filled on councils across the country.
If you want to find out who your local councillor is, have a look at our election tracker here.
Here’s the state of the parties:
Irish Freedom Party candidates Diarmaid Ó Conaráin’s 5,160 votes have now been distributed.
Philip Dwyer, the far-right candidate for Ireland First, is the biggest beneficiary with 1,001 transfers, while Independent Ireland’s Niall Boylan received 834 transfers.
Unsurprisingly, no one has managed to reach the 75,345 quota as of yet, but Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty are inching closer.
Independent candidate Dr Umar Al Qadri has been eliminated. His 5,329 votes will now be allocated.
Fine Gael councillor and Ireland South candidate John Mullins tells my colleague Niall O’Connor in Cork that “there’s an opportunity for the Government to get three seats” in the area.
“The question mark is who’s going to be the third one,” he says.
John Mullins Fine Gael candidate chats about his view on the election as he arrives at the Ireland South count centre. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/bFskMCuur9
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
After 24 hours to reflect, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says:
— Muiris O’Cearbhaill (@muirisoc) June 10, 2024
“To answer your question directly, yes, it is obvious that now that we ran too many candidates.”
She says the Party needs to be “clear” on their stances in the future. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/RGQUKM6PIf
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has arrived at the RDS, and has told reporters there that “it is obvious now that we ran too many candidates”.
My colleague Muiris O’Cearbhaill will have more on what she said shortly.
With that, I’m going to sign off for the moment and hand you over to my colleague Eoghan Dalton, who will have all the latest updates as they come in.
Thanks for sticking with us throughout the day.
Good evening, it’s Eoghan Dalton here. Thanks for staying with us so far today.
I’ll be bringing you the latest updates over the next while.
In the north, Sinn Féin’s rhetoric on migration seen over the election campaign has come in for stinging criticism by the SDLP.
Its leader Matthew O’Toole told Stormont that Sinn Féin’s “reckless weaponisation” of Ireland’s border, which he noted included remarks that it was “comfortable with increased checks on people”, was a disgrace that needed rectifying.
Sinn Féin's reckless weaponisation of Ireland's open border during their failed election was a disgrace.
— Matthew O'Toole (@MatthewOToole2) June 10, 2024
Mary Lou McDonald told RTÉ she was comfortable with increased checks on people.
SF leaflets and videos lambasted 'open borders'.
I challenged Michelle O'Neill on it today. pic.twitter.com/KxgtMHTees
I can confirm that a fine haul of pizza has been delivered to the RDS.
Diarmuid Pepper reports from Castlebar, Co Mayo on how the count is going in the Midlands-Northwest constituency, where 27 are candidates fighting for five seats in the massive electoral region which spans 15 counties.
Hundreds of count staff have been processing around 700,000 ballots for the region and it seems assured that incumbents Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Maria Walsh, and sitting TD Barry Cowen will take seats.
The results of the first count are not expected until around 9pm, as Diarmuid reports here.
Niall O’Connor, our man in Cork, has been exploring the Nemo Rangers GAA Club count centre while he awaits the results of the first count.
From hurling to the European Parliament election in Ireland South. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/2qXjf7JiFx
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
There hasn’t been much change after Count 4 in Limerick’s election for a directly elected mayor.
John Moran is still well in front at Limerick Racecourse.
The Independent candidate is way out in front on 18,462, but there’s some distance to go before we reach the 39,873 quota.
Caitríona Ní Chathaín (Socialist Party) and Laura Keyes (Social Democrats) are the latest to be eliminated.
State of the Poll after Count 4 - Mayor of Limerick Election:
— Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) June 10, 2024
- Caitríona Ní Chathaín - EXCLUDED
- Laura Keyes - EXCLUDED
More: https://t.co/FXrVa5q6XN#DEMLimerick #LimerickCount pic.twitter.com/tC9YskZkB9
Muiris O’Cearbhaill here from the RDS after the eleventh count for the Dublin constituency.
Votes from independent candidate Dr Umar Al-Qadri were distributed to others in what seemed like a free-for-all.
A total of 888 of Al-Qadri’s votes were transferred to Fianna Fáil’s incumbent MEP Barry Andrews, who continues to top the poll, while Ireland First’s candidate Philip Dwyer recieved the fewest, 29.
Every candidate, apart from Dwyer, recieved more than 100 votes from the distribution of Al-Qadri’s.
In the fight for the fourth seat, which is building up to be a tightly contested battle, Green Party’s Ciarán Cuffe maintained his position after receiving 527 votes.
Dublin 11th count:
— Muiris O’Cearbhaill (@muirisoc) June 10, 2024
Ireland First candidate and far-right agitator Philip Dwyer has been eliminated after no one reached the quota from the distribution of independent Umar Al-Qadri’s votes.
Green incumbent Ciarán Cuffe maintains his fourth-place position, ahead of Niall Boylan pic.twitter.com/M3vzc1RNSF
Cuffe, who was less than 40 votes from dropping to fifth place on Count 10, has so far been able to keep Independent Ireland’s candidate Niall Boylan from overtaking him.
Transfers to Boylan have created a good distance between himself and Labour Party’s candidate and Dublin North-Central TD Aodhán Ó Riordán.
As we head into the twelfth count, where Dwyer’s votes will be distributed after he has been eliminated, it is understood that the Labour Party and the Green Party anticipate that transfers from the Social Democrats later in the count could benefit them.
Hello again! It’s Jane Moore here. Thanks for sticking with us throughout the day.
I’ll be bringing you the latest updates for the rest of the evening as the counts continue in the local and European elections.
It looks like the first count might be imminent in Ireland South, while the first count in Midlands-North-West is around an hour away.
We’ll have the results of both here when they’re announced.
My colleague Niall O’Connor is awaiting the announcement of the first count in Ireland South:
First count announcement imminent here in Cork for Ireland South. Candidates standing around ready for the news. I understand Sean Kelly is around 5,000 over the quota. He will be elected. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/b3mkgdVuMM
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Awaiting the first count in Ireland South, Seán Kelly watches Rhasidat Adeleke competing in the Women’s 400m final at the European Athletics Championships.
The 21-year-old Irish athlete missed out on gold, but takes home the silver.
Our man on the ground at the Nemo Rangers count centre Niall O’Connor has also been speaking to some of the volunteers who have been helping to keep the show on the road there all day:
The count started this morning at 9am. 220 count staff have not stopped working - only for short breaks. We are now hopefully aiming for the first count at 9pm. There is a team of Nemo Rangers club volunteers helping to keep the show on the road. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/SxafAjHCln
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Ireland First candidate Philip Dwyer’s 6,705 votes have now been distributed.
While Independent Malachy Steenson received the most transfers (1,844), he has now been eliminated.
Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan, after receiving 1,706 transfers, has now overtaken Green Party candidate Ciarán Cuffe and sits just behind Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan in fourth place.
You can follow the count here.
We have a result from the first count in Ireland South.
Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly has become the first MEP to be elected in Ireland after topping the poll with 122,777 first preference votes, well over the quota of 114,761.
Kelly’s surplus of 8,016 will now be distributed.
The results for the five-seater constituency in full:
This is how it looks in Ireland South now, after Seán Kelly was returned to the European parliament on the first count.
Fianna Fáil’s Billy Keleher is currently in second place on 91,074 votes, followed by Independent candidate Michael McNamara on 56,339 and Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú on 55,209.
You can follow the count here.
Here’s the moment Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly found out he had been re-elected to the European parliament for Ireland South, and was the country’s first elected MEP.
It’s safe to say he was chuffed.
Sean Kelly of Fine Gael is Ireland's first MEP of 2024! Elected on the first count for Ireland South. @NiallJournal_ie pic.twitter.com/426xQ1HaV8
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) June 10, 2024
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Irish local election without a few unique nicknames and this year’s election has been no different – The Journal‘s Bill Breathnach has been taking a look:
“Labour’s Michael ‘Chicken’ Brennan was surely clucking with delight in Carrick-on-Suir after a strong vote saw him elected to Tipp Council on the second count. Down the road in Cashel, Annemarie ‘Shiner’ Ryan of Sinn Fein was glad to avoid a bruising as she narrowly secured a seat on the eleventh count.
“Killarney’s Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan will be joined on Kerry County County by fellow independent Liam ‘Speedy’ Nolan of Listowel. Unfortunately for Fine Gael however, their candidate Séamus ‘Cosaí’ Fitzgerald wasn’t particularly sure-footed in Corca Dhuibhne as he lost his seat.
“In Bray West, Sinn Féin’s Dermot ‘Daisy’ O’Brien was elected to Wicklow County Council. And Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere proved to be a fine fellow as voters in Callan-Thomastown elected him onto Kilkenny County Council.”
Sure if you’re not getting hoisted into the air after the results are announced, did you even get elected?
We have the first count for Midlands-North-West.
So far, no one has reached the quota of 113,325.
Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is the closest on 78,214, with just 20 votes separating Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen on 73,908 and Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry on 73,888.
Fine Gael’s Maria Walsh is on 71,476 and Independent Ireland candidate Ciaran Mullooly on 57,297.
Independents Daniel Pocock, Stephen Garland and Charlotte Keenan have all been eliminated after receiving the lowest number of votes each.
The results for the five-seater constituency in full:
Independent candidate Malachy Steenson’s 11,483 votes have now been distributed.
Independent Ireland’s Niall Boylan received a hefty 4,494 transfers and has now overtaken Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan to sit in third place, with just over 2,100 votes between them now.
Sinn Féin’s Daithí Doolan has been eliminated, with his 11,822 votes to be distributed.
But that won’t happen until tomorrow morning now, as the count staff at the RDS are calling it a night.
Fianna Fáil have now pushed ahead of Fine Gael in terms of seat count at local government level.
FF now have 242 seats compared to FG’s 240 with 17 seats in total left to be elected.
You can find the full list of councillors that have been elected so far here.
RTÉ Prime Time’s Sarah McInerney has been speaking to Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan, who is sitting in third place as it stands in the Dublin European election count, in the last while.
She asks him about something he mentioned to The Journal‘s Eimer McAuley yesterday, when he said he will “embarrass the Irish government in Europe”.
He tells her it’s about “raising awareness of issues where I believe the Irish Government are doing wrong”.
Independent Ireland candidate @Niall_Boylan speaks to @SarahAMcInerney about what he would do in Europe if elected, following the final count for the night in the Dublin constituency, which put him in third place.#Elections2024 @rtenews | #rtept pic.twitter.com/DKj3CVGIYQ
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) June 10, 2024
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has also been speaking to RTÉ Prime Time.
Sarah McInerney asks him about “attacks” from members of coalition parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and mentions Regina Doherty, who last week likened cycle lanes in Dublin City to the Berlin Wall and accused Green politicians of being “arrogant” and “autocratic”.
“The Greens currently are doing more harm than good to the climate change agenda,” Doherty said.
Ryan says these attacks are “not acceptable” and “wrong”.
"We're not out there lambasting...or doing personal attacks on government colleagues..."
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) June 10, 2024
Green Party leader @EamonRyan tells @SarahAMcInerney attacks from coalition colleagues during the election campaign were unacceptable and wrong.#Elections2024 | @rtenews| #rtept pic.twitter.com/Umg9ML9Ji2
My colleague Bill Breathnach has some analysis on Midlands-North-West after the first count saw Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan top the poll, but no candidates taking a seat just yet:
Ireland’s longest serving MEP looks well placed to retain his seat as he tops the poll after the first count.
Fine Gael have managed their vote extremely well to place them in contention for two seats at this early stage. Nina Carberry will be delighted to be just outpolling her incumbent running mate Maria Walsh.
Fianna Fáil may have scuppered their chance to gain a second seat here with their decision to run three candidates. Barry Cowen is however likely to gain a seat, polling well ahead of his running mates Lisa Chambers and Niall Blaney.
Sinn Féin are in serious trouble. Chris McManus as an incumbent MEP will be very disappointed to have secured just 4.3% of the vote and he is unlikely to retain his seat.
“Leaky” transfers may also scupper Michelle Gildernew’s chances of winning a seat, calling into question the wisdom of Sinn Fein running two candidates.
Former RTÉ correspondent Ciaran Mullooly is in contention for a seat. He will be hoping for strong transfers from independents and Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín to secure his place in Europe.
My colleague Muiris O’Cearbhaill, who has spent most of the day in the RDS, has a piece on how things look in Dublin after the second count day.
You can read it in full here.
Independent candidate Dan McCarthy was elected to Kerry County Council for the Kenmare LEA earlier on after he took the sixth seat following a recount.
And what better way to celebrate than to do a bit of line dancing?
All over in Kenmare LEA as Dan McCarthy Ind, Teddy O'Sullivan Casey FG, and Podge Foley Ind are the final Cllrs elected to @countykerry Dan makes good on a promise to redo an election video line dance at the count centre if he won. Video @OwenOShea @kerrytodayrk pic.twitter.com/OZDD32cL5E
— Jerry O'Sullivan (@jerosullivanRK) June 10, 2024
Only in Kerry, as some might say.
Counting is ongoing in Midlands-North-West to distribute the votes of the three eliminated candidates, which amount to 2,705.
But it won’t make much to the standings there tonight and won’t see anyone over the line.
The counting in the Limerick mayoral election is also continuing – we’ll have any major results from there on our website if they materialise.
Things have finished up for the night in the Dublin and Ireland South counts, and so I’m going to follow suit and finish up myself.
Thanks for staying with us throughout the day. We’ll be back again with the latest updates in the morning.
—
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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