Cavan-Monaghan General Election 2024 updates: Just one seat ...

Seats filled: 3

8.15pm: Cathy Bennett elected

It was elation once again for Sinn Féin as first time candidate Cathy Bennett won a seat to Dail Eireann amid wild celebrations in the Cavan Leisure when she was elected- as she prevailed on a final tally.

Bennett’s supporters sang Oró Sé Do Bheatha Abhaile at full pitch this evening.

Cathy Bennett got 3,281 votes from Matt Carthy’s transfers putting her on 13,383 and giving her a surplus of 1,841 to be distributed between Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth and Aontu’s Sarah O’Reilly who had an impressive campaign.

Niamh Smyth is on 10,856 after getting 73 from Carthy’s surplus while Brendan Smith got 94 pushing him to 10,616.

Aontu’s Sara O’Reilly got 131 from Carthy’s surplus and is on 9,129 and looks like she will finish in sixth place.

But, there was a heavy feeling of inevitability on the 13th count as Cathy Bennett, Brendan Smith, and Niamh Smyth relaxed with their families and friends so you had none of the quaintly manic nail biting of other elections where a delicious sense of hope and wonder filled the air.

Smith and Smyth are sitting TD’s and Fianna Fail’s vote has increased by around 600 votes while Sinn Fein’s overall vote is down around 2000 votes while Fine Gael’s vote is down around 5,000 votes.

But they will be happy to have held the seat that ex Minister Heather Humphreys worked so hard to win and first timer David Maxwell has big shoes to fill.

But for those who won, it was all worth the trudging of the winding roads of Cavan and Monaghan in the deep winter was all worthwhile.

For, seats in Dail Eireann are becoming increasingly popular not to mention lucrative as shown by the large number of various candidates who go forward with no hope of being elected.

But, hey, that’s democracy and many died for that right.

And while we rightly gurn about late hours-there is still something truly egalitarian about the old ballot box.

Losing narrowly can also, be cruel as evidenced by Sinn Pauline Tully’s clear distress and Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly who fought a valiant campaign but just came up short.

But with one more count to go, Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth will be elected.

6.15pm Carthy is elected

Matt Carthy of Sinn Fein was mobbed by a big phalanx of supporters when he was finally elected at 5.45 pm on the 12th count at Cavan Leisure Centre.

The poll topper finished on a tally of 15,121 votes which was 3579 votes above the quota of 11,542.

He received 4,140 of his eliminated colleague Pauline Tully’s distributed votes while his party colleague Cathy Bennett got 1,882 and is on 10,102 votes and looks certain to take a second Sinn Féin seat when Carthy’s distribution of his 3579 surplus votes take place.

Meanwhile it also looks certain that Fianna Fail will take the other two seats as Niamh Smyth is on 10,787 after getting 470 transfers from Pauline Tully.

Her party colleague Brendan Smith is on 10,522 votes after getting 460 votes from Tully’s votes.

And Aontú candidate Sarah O’Reilly got 8990 after getting 508 transfers from Tully’s tally.

We are now on the 13th count where Carthy’s surplus of 3579 will be distributed among the remaining four candidates.

This count is expected to take an hour…or so.

5.40 pm day three

The canteen in the Cavan Leisure Centre has been doing great business as some grumpy, hungry dehydrated hacks and other exhausted parties are stocking up on sandwiches and sugar rushes as we come to terms with the fact that this is the longest running count in the country.

Counting of eliminated Sinn Féin candidate Pauline Tully's votes began at 2.20 and it is still continuing at 5.30 pm as some count followers fight to stay awake.

It is expected (health warning) that their votes will be distributed around 6pm and we might be finished by 7pm.

That's a big might as we go into our 44th hour of counting...a marathon among the rolling hills of Breffni.

Cavan/Monaghan has the unenviable record of being the slowest count in the country to elect a TD so all hands were determined to put in a strong finish-but they should not have been asked to work totally unacceptable hours.

3pm Monday - Pauline Tully loses her seat

Sitting Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully has lost her seat, as Sinn Féin’s bold strategy of fielding three candidates just fell short in the Cavan Leisure Centre.

The Kilnaleck County Cavan secondary school teacher finished with a total 7868, votes just behind her party colleague Cathy Bennett who is now set to take her first seat from Tully’s transfers.

Bennett, who is a theatre manager in Monaghan has a total of 8,220 votes and will be a first time TD.

She benefited from 110 transfer votes from fellow North Monaghan elected candidate David Maxwell while Tully received just six votes.

Maxwell had a surplus of 811 and the remainder of his votes were 83 to Matt Carthy, 83 to Sarah O’Reilly Aontú, 255 to Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith and 274 to Niamh Smyth.

At present, Maxwell is leading the poll on 12,353 votes with Carthy second on 10,981, Niamh Smyth third on 10,313, Brendan Smith, on 10,062 in fourth and Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly on 10,062 in fifth place.

Carthy will exceed the quota after Tully’s votes are distributed and they might just earn a seat for Bennett as well.

No candidate has reached the quota of 11,542 but Carthy will exceed that on the 12th count.

We are now awaiting the results of the distribution of Tully’s 7868 votes which could take quite some time.

1pm Monday – Counting resumes

Counting has just begun at 1pm today at the Cavan Monaghan election count after Fine Gael’s David Maxwell took his first seat for the party amid scenes of wild jubilation in the Cavan Leisure Centre around 4.20 am last night.

Only one of the five seats have been filled.

At present it looks likely that Sinn Féin will have two elected along with two from Fianna Fail.

The consensus here is that Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth will take seats for Fianna Fail.

Matt Carthy is a cert for Sinn Féin and will top the poll.

And had Cathy Bennett not been put forward in North Monaghan, Carthy would possibly have finished with an impressive almost 19,000 votes.

But sitting Cavan Monaghan TD Pauline Tully could have a battle on her hands to keep her seat.

She is on 7,862 with fellow Sinn Féin candidate Cathy Bennett on 8110 with observers suggesting that Tully might just be edged out by Bennett.

At present David Maxwell’s surplus of 811 will be distributed.

We have just started the 11th count-but with six candidates still in the running, it could be quite a long day here-especially given the remarkably slow pace of counting.

4.15 am – Maxwell takes seat

Fine Gael’s David Maxwell was elected TD for Cavan Monaghan for the first time- after a 43 hour count in the Cavan Leisure Centre.

The 58-year-old North Monaghan councillor and undertaker finished with a whopping 12,353 and fills the shoes of his long time mentor Heather Humphreys who was at the count to share in her protégé’s triumph.

The father-of two has been a councillor for 20 years.

Geography played a part in his triumph as he got 1788 votes from the eliminated North Monaghan Fianna Fáil candidate Robbie Gallagher.

He was duly elected with a surplus of 811 votes to loud cheers from his supporters.

Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin finished with 10,898 and Niamh Smyth had 10,039 votes in third place with Brendan Smith of Fianna Fail had 9807 votes and Sara O’Reilly of Aontú on 8407 was in fifth place.

Announcing the outcome at 4.18 am, Returning Officer Joe Smith said he was adjourning the count until 1 pm on Monday.

2.40 am – Smith certain to take a seat for Fianna Fáil

Veteran Cavan Fianna Fáil politician Brendan Smith is certain to take a seat-but the ex- Minister of Agriculture was taking nothing for granted.

With a fair bulk of votes likely to come from Fianna Fail colleague Robbie Gallagher-Smith will take a seat without reaching the quota.

When asked why he arrived so late at the poll, Smith said it was the habit of a lifetime.

“I like to sit it out at home and look at what is going on in the rest of the country and call colleagues who are doing well and colleagues who are struggling and after an election campaign you like to sit down and relax for a few hours.

“I have never gone to the count until very late in the day or when I need to.”

He added that even though Robbie Gallagher has a big vote spread to distribute-Brendan does not expect to get half of Gallagher’s votes.

“No I did not canvass in Monaghan and he is a colleague and I would hope to get around 1000 and of course Niamh Smyth will get some of his transfers as well and his votes could go to other candidates and Cathy Bennett and Matt Carthy could benefit as well.

1.50 am – Maxwell overtakes Carthy

Count: 9

Eliminated on this count. Robbie Gallagher

Redistributed from TP O’Reilly’s 6425 votes

Non-transferable papers;

Quota : 11,542.

For the very first time Fine Gael candidate David Maxwell has overtaken Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy, reaching 10565 votes to 10,337 for Carthy.

This was done courtesy of a hefty 2,870 votes transferred from party colleague T P O’Reilly who had 6425 votes to distribute.

Eliminated Fianna Fail candidate Robbie Gallagher could guarantee a seat for colleague Brendan Smith who is now on 8523 in count 10.

But Gallagher’s massive 6857 votes could be hugely significant for another sitting Fianna Fail TD Niamh Smyth who is on 8680 and Aontús Sarah 0’Reilly is on 8060.

Sinn Féin’s Cathy Bennett has 7542 but that could be boosted by Gallagher’s transfers as geography might kick in as they are both from North Monaghan.

Her party colleague Pauline Tully has 7817 and it looks like only one of these candidates will get a second seat for the party.

1.35 am – Humphreys happy to see Fine Gael retain seat

Just after 1am former Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys entered the count

Her departure from politics has been a big blow to Fine Gael locally as the vote has dropped by 30 per cent; although David Maxwell will take a seat for Fine Gael.

Ms Humphreys said she was delighted that Fine Gael were going to retain their seat in Monaghan and she had known David Maxwell for a long time.

When asked for a comment on the drop in their votes she said:

“The Fine Gael vote was down but obviously it’s new candidates and that is well known.

“I got a lot of votes but I worked hard to get them and I started off here in 2011 and the margin was only 365 and it was 5 am in the morning.

“It was very late and I did not think I was going to make it but I did and the work started then.

“So work hard for the people and build that trust and the people will reward you and I have no doubt that David Maxwell will do a good job in the Dáil.

She added: “It is great that David Maxwell will replace me in the Dail and I have known him for over 20 years and I am delighted for him and I will be there to give him advice and help him.”

When asked what advice she would give her leader Simon Harris, who will be back in government she said:

"I would say he did a tremendous job and gave it everything and he should be allowed to take a few days off and reflect on the serious business of forming a government."

0.06am Monday: Count 8 complete

It took just over two hours to count the distribution of eliminated Fine Gael candidate Carmel Brady’s vote.

The Fine Gael has collapsed by a considerable 30 per cent but David Maxwell is confident that the transfers from fellow Fine Gael man T P O’Reilly could gain him a seat without reaching the quota as T P O’Reilly has 6425 votes

He got 1170 transfers from Carmel Brady which has put him on 7695 and put him in second place.

Matt Carthy is on 10,257 and still over 1000 votes shy of the quota on a night when it looks like nobody will reach the quota.

His colleague Pauline Tully is on 7520 while first timer Cathy Bennett has 7490 votes and it looks like Sinn Féin may take two seats but it is uncertain who will join Carthy

Ex Minister Heather Humphreys is expected at the count shortly and could be asked about the dramatic drop in the Fine Gael vote.

For Fianna Fáil, Brendan Smith on 7512 looks a safe bet especially as Robbie Gallagher’s transfers should put him in a strong position.

Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly has gained an impressive 7487 votes and she could be neck in neck with Niamh Smyth for a final seat.

10pm: Sinn Féin in the top three at present

Sinn Fein are in the top three after the seventh count in Cavan/Monaghan with Matt Carthy on 10,094, Pauline Tully on 7384 and Cathy Bennett on 7373 which is a remarkable stat indeed.

And, once again Aontu candidate Sarah O’Reilly got a whopping transfer-this time 969 votes from Shane P O’Reilly to move to 7122.

Fianna Fail’s Brendan Smith is on 7154 but he is expected to get transfers when Robbie Gallagher is eliminated and could be fighting with Cathy Bennett or Pauline Tully or Sarah O'Reilly for the final seat.

Fine Gael’s David Maxwell will be hoping to get a bounce from Carmel Brady’s 4519 votes as he is on 6,525.

Fianna Fail’s Niamh Smyth is not out of the reckoning either as she is on 6472 and we have five counts to go.

But with Matt Carthy not expected to get transfers from Carmel Brady it could be another hour or two before he reaches the quota and there is strong speculation that a number of candidates could be elected without reaching the quota.

And the word from the count is that we could be here to 4 am.

8.40pm: Independent Ireland candidate eliminated

Shane P O’Reilly has been eliminated after count but a candidate has yet to reach the quota.

But the performance of Aontú candidate and ex Fianna Fail member Sarah O’Reilly has cause a bit of a stir as she got a healthy 675 votes from the combined vote of 2,785 from eliminated candidates Emma Hendrick and Val Martin bringing her to an impressive 6153 votes.

And another big talking point has been the destination of eliminated candidate and ex Fianna Fail councillor Shane P O’Reilly who has 3,717 votes to be distributed.

His votes will certainly swell the tally of the Fianna Fail candidates with Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth set to benefit mainly, as well as Fine Gael’s T P O’Reilly who is a neighbour of Shane P.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy leads the field on 9857 which is still 1685 votes short of the quota.

Cathy Bennett of Sinn Féin is in second slot on 7,273 while Pauline Tully of the same party is on 6958.

Fine Gael’s David Maxwell is on 6,452 and will benefit from the transfers of colleagues T P O’Reilly and Carmel Brady.

7.30pm: Independent Ireland candidate pleased with showing

Independent Ireland candidate Shane P O’Reilly says his party could be in power with a Coalition government after the election.

The Mullagh, County Cavan native polled 3.106 votes and while not elected he says he happy with his showing.

“I was happy with the tally and I was in Fianna Fail for many years but parted company with party leader Micheal Martin as we did not have the same ideals at the time but he seems to have softened his stance since.

“I am happy with my vote as I did not have too many helpers and it cost me around €12,000 and I was realistic enough as to my chances.

“Independent Ireland could be in government and I would not be one bit surprised if there was a phone call from the city of Cork to Michael Collins.

Shane P reckons that Sarah O’Reilly, Niamh Smyth, Brendan Smith and T P O’Reilly could all get some of his transfers and he could help his old party capture one if not two seats.

6.30pm: No-one elected after five counts

After five counts, nine candidates have been eliminated from the counts and we still have nobody elected.

Emma Hendrick (PBP) and Val Martin (Irish Freedom Party) were eliminated and their total vote tally amounts to 3,185 and some observers are predicting that Matt Carthy could get elected if he were to get a healthy slice of the combined vote as he is 1992 off the quota.

He is still well out in front with colleague Cathy Bennett in second, with Brendan Smith of Fianna Fail in third slot, and Pauline Tully of Sinn Féin in fourth spot and Robbie Gallagher in fifth spot.

No candidate has reached the quota yet but the distribution of the votes of the two eliminated candidates could push Carthy closer to the quota although the candidate is playing this down.

2pm: Second count complete

The 405 total votes from eliminated candidates Fergal Deery, Joe Duffy, Mark Moore and Jimmy Mee have been distributed and nobody has reached the quota.

Shane Mulligan who got 544 votes on the first count has been eliminated and his votes will be distributed in the third count.

12.45pm: First count has been concluded.

Electorate: 109, 152 Total Poll: 69,904. Spoiled:658 Valid Poll:69,246

Quota: 11,542

Eliminated on this count: Fergal, Joe Duffy, Val Martin, Jimmy Mee

The big news from the first count here in Cavan Monaghan is that the tally first preferences were pretty accurate with Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin topping the poll on 9.363 votes followed his party colleague Cathy Bennett on 6,455 with Fianna Fail veteran Brenan Smith third on 6,653 and Sinn Féin’s Pauline Tully on 6455 fourth place and Fianna Fail’s Robbie Gallagher in fifth place after the count results were announced at 12.15 am.

Fergal Deery Independent, Joseph Duffy, Independent, Mark Moore, The National Party and Jimmy Mee Independent were all eliminated and their votes will be distributed in the second round.

Carthy is now 2,179 votes short of the quota.

10.30am:

The count has resumed here in Cavan.

Late last night five miraculous medals were found in a few boxes prompting speculation among some bleary eyed journalists that it might take some divine intervention to get the count finished by tonight.

Looking at the main contenders generally, the Sinn Féin vote is down from just over 26,000 last time out to just over 22,000.

Meanwhile Fine Gael’s vote is down from just over 19,000 to just over 14,000.

Fianna Fáil’s vote has increased by 547 from 18,161 to 18,178 and they are the only one of the three parties to make a gain from the last election.

Speculation that Sinn Féin might take and historic three seats has cooled over night with the predictions veering towards two seats for Sinn Féin the only question is will it be Cathy Bennett or sitting TD Pauline Tully who will be joining him.

Fine Gael’s David Maxwell looks like taking Heather Humphreys old seat as he will get transfers from party colleagues Carmel Brady and TP O’Reilly.

Fianna Fáil are certain to get one seat at least and it looks like the experienced Brendan Smith will get in on transfers from sitting TD Niamh Smyth and Robbie Gallagher.

Sunday 1.15am

At 1.14 am Presiding Officer Joe Smith said he was adjourning the count until 10am on Sunday morning so there will be no first count until Sunday morning.

10.30pm: Fianna Fáil candidates yet to appear

As of almost 10 pm there were no Fianna Fail candidates at the count.

But chairperson of the Municipal District of Carrickmacross/Castleblayney P J OHanlon told the Irish Independent that the party were expecting to win one seat and would be in the hunt for a second.

“I have been in regular contact with the candidates and it is now 10pm and we have not yet got to the first count. It should be finished by midnight tonight and the real business will begin tomorrow.

“We are sitting on 18,500 and Brendan Smith has 6628 votes, Robbie Gallagher has 6299 votes and Niamh Smyth has 5281.

“We have between 25 and 26 % of the vote and there are 4,700 votes to be taken and 1200 are in Monaghan and 3,500 are in Cavan so it’s all to play for.

“We have to get a seat on the votes, we have almost 19,000 and we are hoping to get two and we will be looking for transfers.

“The first three seats could be decided tomorrow afternoon but the last two seats could be a very long drawn affair.

9pm: First timer Sinn Féin candidate pleased with showing

For some observers the story of this election so far has been the performance of Sinn Féin’s Cathy Bennett who came out with 6,936 votes in her first outing.

But while very pleased with the tallies, the Monaghan Theatre manager was not going to speculate on three possible seats for Sinn Féin.

“I am delighted with the tallies but it is still much too early to call as that is just the tallies.

“It’s a big ask to get that from the people and I had North Monaghan and Matt had South Monaghan so we divided it up between us and my team worked very hard for me.

“It is the people who decide in the end and we have done very well and the vote was well managed and Pauline Tully will pick up a few Cavan votes as the count goes on.

“But there is a long way to go and it will depend on the transfers but no matter what happens it has been a memorable day for me.”

8.20pm: Still waiting for first count

Counting of ballot papers for the first count began at 3.30pm and the results of the count are not expected until 10 pm.

It is not expected that we will have the second count tonight.

There has been a lull between the results of the tallies as some candidates took a break and left the count.

At present, there is a lull in proceedings and the general consensus is that nobody will be elected until at least tomorrow morning.

7.45pm: Fine Gael confident of taking a seat

When Fine Gael candidate David Maxwell was picked to try to keep the seat of ex Minister Heather Humphreys, he had big shoes to fill.

But he is still reasonably confident of taking the seat after finishing on 6,109 after the tallies.

And with Fine Gael party colleagues T P O’Reilly on 4260, Carmel Brady on 4332 it would be reasonable to assume that he would be transfer friendly if either failed to make the cut.

“I am in it to win it,” he told the Irish Independent.

“I think there is a Fine Gael seat but there is a clatter of us, around eight people sitting within 2,000 votes so it could be well drawn out.

“I came in at 6th at the end of the tally and I had three and a half weeks to canvass after Heather announced that she was retiring.

“So that was pretty challenging,” he said.

“I want to lead from the front and you would hope that a Fine Gael voter will vote for a Fine Gael candidate, but sometimes people go for the next local candidate.

And he paid tribute to the discipline of the Sinn Féin vote.

“They ran a super campaign and Matt Carthy is back on his 2020 numbers but there are not many parties who can do that to have that discipline.

"If every party did that they would get more seats.

“It is hard to say if they will take three seats and after the first count we could see quite a few of the Independents eliminated and that might clear the way for the shake up.”

6.40pm: Carthy lauds vote management that could see three seats for Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin’s likely poll topper Matt Carthy said there was a real chance the party could take three seats with running mate Cathy Bennett and incumbent Pauline Tully in Cavan.

The trio have polled a total of 22,785 votes which represents 32.94 per cent of the total tally.

“It’s a phenomenal first count if the tallies transpire and I have no doubt that they will.

“And to come in first, second and fourth on the first count is incredible and shows the huge effort put in by the Sinn Féin team across both counties.”

Carthy pointed to good vote management that maximised the vote for Sinn Féin.

“We got 26,000 votes between Pauline Tully and I the last time but people have done what we asked them to do and Cathy Bennett is a formidable candidate and it is a great vote for a first time candidate.”

“We are in contention for a third seat but a lot depends on the geographical spread of transfers and we might get some transfers from Fianna Fail and I can see Pauline Tully’s vote going up as there are a number of Cavan candidates to be eliminated.

“If Robbie Gallagher’s votes come into play in Monaghan I think some of them would go to Cathy Bennet so it is all to play for.

“I have over 9,000 votes and I need over 11,500 votes to get over the quota and I would be shocked if anybody gets elected tonight as so many candidates are neck and neck in the first six.”

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4pm: Final tally in Cavan-Monaghan

Bennett Cathy (Sinn Féin); 6936

Brady Carmel (Fine Gael); 4260.

Carthy Matt; (Sinn Féin) 9371

Deery Fergal (Independent):; 81

Duffy Joseph (Independent); 124

Gallagher Robbie (Fianna Fáil); 6299

Gordon Lester (Independent); 918

Hendrick Emma (People Before Profit); 963

Martin Val (Irish Freedom Party); Votes; 1249

Maxwell David (Fine Gael); 6129

Mee Jimmy (Independent); 27

Moore Mark (National Party); 179

Mulligan Shane (Liberty Party); 514

O’Gara Eddie (Green Party); 731

O’Reilly Sarah (Aontú); 5098;

O’Reilly Shane P (Independent Ireland); 3080

O’Reilly T P (Fine Gael); 4332

Smith Brendan (Fianna Fail) 6628

Smyth Niamh (Fianna Fail);5781.

Tully Pauline (Sinn Féin); 6478

3pm:

Sinn Féin could potentially be on target to take three seats for the first time according to the results of the tally at the Cavan/Monaghan count at the Cavan Leisure Centre.

And while this comes with a health warning as transfers will be crucial, its three candidates Matt Carthy and Cathy Bennett and Pauline Tully have polled a total of 22,785 votes which represents 32.94 per cent of the total tally of first preference votes.

Matt Carthy got 9371 votes according to the tallies which is short of a quota with a running mate in Monaghan, Geraldine Bennett who got 6936 votes.

The other sitting TD Pauline Tully in Cavan got 6478 votes and she got in on the second count from Carthy’s transfers in 2020.

Meanwhile, it is shaping up to be a bit of a dog fight for Fianna Fáil who have three candidates breathing down each other’s neck with ex Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith in third place overall with 6628 votes.

He is closely followed by Senator Robbie Gallagher of Fianna Fáil on 6299 votes with Niamh Smyth on 5781 votes.

Fine Gael’s David Maxwell will be hoping to take the seat left vacant by the departure of ex Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is on 6129 but he might struggle to get transfers in Cavan. T P O’Reilly is on 4,332 and Carmel Brady is on 4,260 and it would be a major surprise if they do not take one seat.

Of the minor parties, Sarah O’Reilly of Aontú has polled well with 5098 votes but she might struggle for transfers.

Tallies indicate first major wins and casualties in tight race

1.30pm:

With just 82 more boxes to be tallied, the only real change is that Sinn Féin’s Cathy Bennett is looking in a better position than earlier tallies indicated.

And Fianna Fail’s Robbie Gallagher is also performing well, while Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy continues to romp clear.

Niamh Smyth and David Maxwell are also among those performing well.

Sinn Fein sitting candidate Pauline Tully is not performing as well as was predicted, but will likely do well from transfers.

Sinn Féin have 32.80%, Fine Gael have 21.83%, Independents 1.74%, Fianna F´åil 25.20%, Aontú 7.9%, and Independent Ireland 5.03%.

11.50am: Maxwell now in top five

Fine Gael hopeful David Maxwell has broken into the top five after 106 boxes have been tallied in a fast moving Cavan/Monaghan tally count.

The Monaghan County Councillor is on 2471 as Matt Carthy of Sinn Fein is now on 5490.

Niamh Smyth (FF) and Sarah O’ Reilly (Aontú) are neck and neck some are speculating that they could be contesting the last seat.

Another Fianna Fail candidate Robbie Gallagher has slipped a bit.

At present 40 pc of the boxes have been tallied.

11.10am: Carthy well out in front

Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy remains well clear of the field after 72 boxes have been tallied and already has a whopping 4,063 votes, again mainly from County Cavan boxes.

Niamh Smyth, who only just scraped in on the 11th count in 2020 on 10,951 without reaching the quota on the last occasion has also made a strong start polling 2096.

Sarah O’Reilly of Aontú stays in third position on 1953 while Carmel Brady has slipped to fourth place on 1879.

And Robbie Gallagher of Fianna Fail remains in line for the fifth slot on 1547 and he is tipped to take a seat for the party.

It is early in the day but some observers are saying that Fianna Fail ex Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith could already be in trouble as he has polled just 983 votes so far.

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Meanwhile Fine Gael candidate David Maxwell will be hoping to hoover up ex Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphrey’s vote has come in at 1509 votes but he will be hoping that Humphreys traditional north Monaghan vote will see him through.

Sinn Féin’s third candidate Cathy Bennett could benefit hugely from Carthy’s transfers which ironically could put sitting Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully who is on 1457 votes in a bit of jeopardy.

The remaining mix of Green, and various other Independents have not made any real impression yet.

10.30am: Carthy out in front in tallies

After 45 of the 259 boxes tallied mostly in Cavan, Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy from Monaghan leads the way with 2416 votes.

Most of the boxes were from Cavan, so Carthy has made a strong start.

Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady is second on 1545 and ex Fianna Fail candidate Sarah O’Reilly is third with 1280 votes.

Current Fianna Fail candidate Niamh Smyth has been polling steadily as well with 1271 votes and another Fianna Fail candidate Robbie Gallagher is fifth on 1001 votes.

So far Sinn Fein have 32.98 per cent of the votes, Fine Gael 24.9 percent and Fianna Fail have 22.69 per cent.

But it’s very early days yet.

10.15am: Early tallies

Around 10% of the tallies are done, indicating that Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy is out in front, with Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady, Fianna Fáil’s Niamh Smyth and Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly also performing well.

10am: Counting underway

Counting is underway in Cavan Town for the Cavan Monaghan constituency where the picture could reflect the national picture.

Tally men and women are busy adding up the tallies as boxes are being opened.

As expected, Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy is performing well in the early tallies.