LAST UPDATE | 2 Feb

FORMER TD ANNE Rabbitte has missed out on a seat on the Labour panel of the Seanad.

All 11 seats on the vocational panel have now been filled, with former Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews who lost his Dáil seat in the last general election nabbing a seat on the panel. 

Rabbitte, who was a junior minister in the last government, lost her seat in the Dáil in a shock result in November. She was subsequently appointed to the Seanad by then-Taoiseach, Simon Harris. 

Elsewhere on the panel, Independent Gerard Craughwell has retained his Seanad seat while Fianna Fáil’s Robbie Gallagher and Margaret Murphy O’Mahony are also in. 

O’Mahony is another former TD who has been elected to the Seanad. 

Fine Gael councillors Mark Duffy and Mike Kennelly were elected this morning, and Fine Gael senator Joe O’Reilly was reelected to the Labour panel.

Pat Casey (FF), Maria McCormack (SF), and Nessa Cosgrove (LP) were the final senators to be elected on the panel. 

Patricia Stephenson of the Social Democrats has also gotten over the line, becoming the party’s first senator. 

Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan has described the election of Stephenson as a landmark day for the party.

“Today marks another milestone for the Social Democrats,” he said.
 
“For the first time, the party will now have representation in the Seanad, and we remain hopeful of a double victory if Cllr Joan Hopkins, our nominee on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, is successful in taking a second seat this weekend,” O’Callaghan said.
 
“I know Patricia will make a valuable contribution as a senator and I look forward to welcoming her to our expanded parliamentary party.”

The count for the Industrial and Commercial vocational panel has now begun.

Yesterday, the Agricultural panel’s 11 seats were filled as Aontú landed its first senator.

In a post to X, Aontú leader Peadar Toibín wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen, history being made today!! We present to you, our first ever Seanadóir. Sarah O’Reilly.

“What year; increased votes, TDs, councillors, and now a brand new Seanadóir. And of course, winning the referendums.”

O’Reilly is currently a councillor for Cavan-Monaghan.

Niall Blaney was the first senator to be reelected to the panel yesterday.

His Fianna Fáil party colleague, Teresa Costello, was also elected.

Eileen Lynch (FG), Sarah O’Reilly (AON), Paraic Brady (FG), Maria Byrne (FG), and P.J. Murphy (FG) also joined the panel.

The Administrative and Industrial panels are still to be counted this weekend.

49 Seanad seats are voted on across the constituencies and panels while another 11 seats will be filled by people nominated by the Taoiseach.