LAST UPDATE | 5 Jun 2019
IT’S BEEN 12 days since votes were cast in Ireland – and we finally have all 13 MEPs confirmed for the next session of the European Parliament.
All eyes were on Ireland South until today, when the final lineup was revealed.
Here are the successful candidates (including 11 who will take their seats on 2 July, and two who will join their counterparts after the UK leaves the EU – whenever that may be):
Ciarán Cuffe, Green Party
Cuffe topped the poll with 63,849 first preference votes but had to wait until the 13th count to be confirmed.
Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael
Former Tánaiste and Justice Minister Fitzgerald got over the line in the count following Cuffe’s election, after Mark Durcan’s transfers gave her a boost.
Clare Daly, Independents 4 Change
Dublin Fingal TD Clare Daly was elected to the third seat on the fifteenth count, after a legal dispute involving transfers and a recount of count 14 this morning.
Barry Andrews, Fianna Fáil
Andrews missed out on the third seat after being leapfrogged by Daly on the 15th count, meaning that he will have to wait until Brexit happens to take the fourth and final seat in Dublin.
Seán Kelly, Fine Gael
Seán Kelly had no problems holding onto his seat, topping the poll in Ireland South. However, he had a bit of a wait to exceed the quota on the ninth count. He did so with 119,883 votes.
Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil
Kelleher, a TD for Cork North-Central and a former junior minister, was elected on the 17th count. His election to the European parliament means that a by-election for his Cork seat now needs to happen within the next six months.
Mick Wallace, Independents 4 Change
Wallace was elected following the distribution of Liadh Ní Riada’s votes. He will join his Independents 4 Change colleague Clare Daly in the European Parliament.
Grace O’Sullivan, Green Party
O’Sullivan takes that all-important fourth seat, meaning she won’t have to wait on Britain to leave before enjoying the rights and responsibilities that Brussels and Strasbourg bring with them. She joins her party colleague Ciarán Cuffe, giving the Green Party a strong showing in parliament for the term.
Deirdre Clune, Fine Gael
Similar to 2014, Clune crawled across the line with transfers from colleagues and other candidates. She will now wait in the wings with Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews before they take up their seats post-Brexit.
Mairéad McGuinness, Fine Gael
McGuinness, a sitting MEP, was elected on the first count with 134,630 votes, well surpassing the quota of 118,986. That accounted for a 22.63% share of the total vote.
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
Flanagan was returned to the European Parliament on the 13th count and received 14.3% of first preferences – significantly more than the RTÉ/TG4 exit poll projected. He received 121,824 votes.
Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin
Carthy was elected on the 13th count with 98,732 votes. As things stands, it looks like he could be Sinn Féin’s sole MEP from the three constituencies.
Maria Walsh, Fine Gael
Walsh, a former Rose of Tralee, was an outside bet before the election but secured 107,192 votes and was elected on the 13th count.
You can find all the results as each count comes in on our European Elections site here.
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