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Ministers on the way out, and Monk on the way in? Five races to keep an eye on today

It’s been a very bad weekend for the Greens.

LAST UPDATE | 1 Dec

IT’S DAY TWO of counting general election results to find out who’ll be in the next Dáil.

More than 40 TDs have made it over the line – here are the elections you may have missed overnight.

With over 130 seats still in play, these are some of the key races to keep an eye on today.

1. Last Green standing? 

The Green Party had a very bad election – they could lose most (or possibly all) of their 12 TDs. Leader Roderic O’Gorman is battling to keep his seat in Dublin West.

Three people have been elected already in that five-seater constituency – Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers, Sinn Féin’s Paul Donnelly and Fine Gael’s Emer Currie.

630Green Party Elections_90717854 "It is clear the Green Party has not had a good day," O'Gorman said yesterday (file photo) Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie / © RollingNews.ie

O’Gorman is currently in fifth-place so it’ll all come down to how transfers are distributed. Arts Minister Catherine Martin is also fighting to keep her seat in Dublin Rathdown.

Junior ministers Joe O’Brien and Ossian Smyth have already lost their seats in Dublin Fingal West and Dún Laoghaire respectively. Neasa Hourigan has been eliminated in Dublin Central.

Outgoing TD Francis Noel Duffy has been eliminated in Dublin South-West, while Pippa Hackett is out of the race in Offaly. Steven Matthews is likely to be eliminated in Wicklow.

Speaking yesterday, O’Gorman told reporters: “It is clear the Green Party has not had a good day.”

“We got a mandate in 2020 to go into Government, and we did that.

But it is hard for a smaller party in Government, that has long been the history in Ireland.

“We hoped going into the election that we could buck that trend, but we haven’t been able to do that.”

2. Ministers on the way out? 

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has a battle on his hands to keep his seat in Wicklow. Fine Gael leader Simon Harris is the only person elected in this constituency so far (after one count).

With three more seats up for grabs, Sinn Féin’s John Brady is currently in second place, followed by the Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore, and Donnelly in fourth. As is so often the case, it’ll come down to transfers.

377Cabinet Meetings_90707961 Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has a battle on his hands to keep his seat in Wicklow Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie / © RollingNews.ie

Anne Rabbitte, Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disabilities, lost her seat in Galway East on the ninth count this morning. Independent TD Seán Canney was re-elected on the sixth count yesterday, and Rabbitte’s Fianna Fáil colleague Albert Dolan was elected on the eighth count earlier today. 

3. Monk on the way in?

One of the constituencies everyone has their eye on is Dublin Central.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald took its first seat yesterday on the third count, with three more seats still up for grabs.

Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats is chasing the quota of 6,551 – he’s less than 200 votes away. Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe isn’t far behind him.

gerry-the-monk-hutch-who-is-running-for-the-dublin-central-constituency-campaigning-in-dublin-last-spring-mr-hutch-was-found-not-guilty-by-the-non-jury-special-criminal-court-of-the-murder-of-da Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch could take the fourth seat in Dublin Central Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The fight for the last seat is coming down to Labour Senator Marie Sherlock and Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch (who currently has the edge). 

4. Tight races for sitting TDs 

Paul Murphy of People Before Profit–Solidarity has a fight on his hands to keep his seat in Dublin South-West. No-one has been elected in the five-seater after one count. As things stand, Murphy is currently fifth so it’s all to play for.

Long-standing Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan could struggle to be re-elected in Kildare North. After one count, no-one has been elected. Durkan is currently in sixth place in the five-seater, behind his running mate Joe Neville.

5. A hat-trick for Sinn Fein in D-SC? 

Sinn Féin could possibly take three of the four seats in Dublin South-Central. No-one has been elected yet (after six counts) but Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Máire Devine and Daithí Doolan are all in with a chance.

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