Local election results: Independent candidates performing strongly ...

The first Dublin candidates to be elected in the local elections were James Geoghegan of Fine Gael and Hazel Chu of the Green Party. Video: Bryan O'Brien

The first local election seats in the State have been filled, with a number of councillors celebrating early in the counts in Co Galway.

Independent candidate Thomas Welby was the first runner home, taking a seat on Galway County Council in the Conamara North local electoral area. Séamus Walsh, who stood as an Independent after resigning from Fianna Fáil in a row over accommodation for refugees, was elected on the second count in the same local area with Eileen Mannion of Fine Gael and Gerry King of Fianna Fáil being re-elected in the fourth count.

Fine Gael’s PJ Murphy, Fianna Fáil’s Martina Kinane and Independent Geraldine Donoghue were all re-elected on the first count in Gort-Kinvara in Galway.

[ Election results count: Follow live ]

Ballot boxes started to open around the country from 9am with 949 council seats and 14 European Parliament seats up for grabs. Much of the tallying has been completed at this stage, with counts now taking place at a number of centres.

The three Coalition parties have cautiously welcomed the results of the early tallies in the local and European elections.

Sinn Féin is expected to make gains on its disastrous 2019 local election result, but party figures were downbeat about the prospects of its candidates sweeping to victory as they did in the 2020 general election. The party set itself ambitious targets to significantly increase its number of councillors but early tallies instead show a surge of support for Independent candidates.

Sources in the Green Party believe it is polling ahead of expectations, while Fine Gael is cautiously optimistic that its result will be in line with recent opinion polls.

Simon Harris ‘encouraged’

In a voice message to a Fine Gael WhatsApp group, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was “so encouraged” by the results of the tallies.

“While there is still a very long way to go, I am so encouraged at this stage to see so many of our candidates doing so well in urban Ireland, rural Ireland, right across this country,” Mr Harris said.

“This hasn’t happened by accident, it’s happened because of your hard work on the ground, to the grassroots members and supporters. It is the honour of my life to be your leader and Taoiseach of this country.”

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said his party was doing much better than the polls and many pundits predicted. Results aside, he said he and his Coalition partners are committed to the Government running its full-term as he ruled out an autumn general election, saying it would likely be held next February or March.

In Ireland South, Mr Martin said he had seen only partial tallies but he believed Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher would hold his seat and running mate Cynthia Ní Mhurchú would also be in contention. He predicted the party would gain a seat in Midlands-North-West, where it has three candidates including TD Barry Cowen.

Sinn Féin’s vote is expected to increase, with the party potentially on course to recover from losing half of its council seats in 2019. Anecdotally, however, many of the Sinn Féin candidates added to ballot papers, who may be first-time candidates or relative unknowns, appear to be struggling.

Labour sources earlier said the national picture for them was “unclear” but there was optimism about early indications in areas such as Drogheda, Wexford and Cork.

[ Live: Follow results from around the country as they come in ]

Dublin results

Hazel Chu (Green Party) was one of the first councillors elected in the Dublin City Council area. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins

Fine Gael and the Green Party have filled the first two seats in Dublin City Council. Fine Gael’s James Geoghegan topped the poll in the Pembroke LEA, with Green Party councillor Hazel Chu, who was mayor of Dublin in 2020, also passing the quota and retaining her seat.

The Green Party will not repeat its astonishing 2019 performance in this LEA, but candidates including Feljin Jose (Cabra-Glasnevin), Cllr Claire Byrne (South East Inner City), Micheal Pidgeon (South West Inner City) and Carolyn Moore (Kimmage-Rathmines) have performed strongly in tallies.

The Social Democrats are also doing well, particularly on the northside, where they could take two seats in Artane-Whitehall. Long serving Independent John Lyons is set to top the poll there with anti-immigrant candidate Kevin Coyle in contention. The far right could also secure a seat in Ballymun-Finglas through Gavin Pepper, but look most assured of success in the North Inner City with Malachy Steenson.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are doing well throughout the city, with the latter set to take two seats in Donaghmede. Fine Gael is in with a shout of two seats in Cabra-Glasnevin. In most northside areas Labour will be hoping for transfers to secure any seats, but on the southside they look secure in Dermot Lacey in Pembroke and Fiona Connolly in Kimmage-Rathmines.

In Cavan, where tallies are completed, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are neck-and-neck with a 28 per cent share each; Independents and others (including Aontú) are on 27 per cent; with Sinn Féin commanding a 17 per cent share.

Aontú's Sarah O’Reilly is set to top the poll in the Bailieborough-Cootehill LEA, as is Independent Ireland candidate Cllr Shane P O’Reilly, formerly of Fianna Fáil, in Ballyjamesduff and Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Áine Smith in the Cavan-Belturbet.

[ Local and European elections: Sinn Féin’s facing a difficult weekend but Independents, not Government parties, profit ]

In Wicklow, all boxes have been opened with tallies showing Fine Gael (on 21 per cent) likely to emerge as the largest party on the incoming Wicklow County Council. Fianna Fáil is on 17.9 per cent; Sinn Féin on 8.1 per cent; the Social Democrats on 7.7 per cent; and the Green Party is on 4.6 per cent.

Roscommon results

Taoiseach Simon Harris after casting his votes in Delgany National School, Wicklow, on Friday. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

The Roscommon LEA has been fully tallied, with Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice of Fianna Fáil projected to top the poll with 1,845 votes. His two party colleagues Marty McDermott and Larry Brennan also look to be well positioned. Gareth Scahill looks likely to win a seat for Fine Gael while Independent Ireland’s Nigel Dineen and Independent Tony Waldron are also in good shape.

In Monaghan, there is some good news for Sinn Féin based on the tallies. The party looks like it will win an additional two seats on the county council, with Fine Gael also in with a chance of gaining one. Fianna Fáil looks to lose a seat with only one Independent predicted to get through. If the tallies are correct, Sinn Féin should emerge as the largest party on the council with eight seats, with six for Fine Gael, three for Fianna Fáil and one Independent.

In Longford, where all the boxes have been tallied in the Granard and Ballymahon local electoral area, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil both seem to be having a good day, with Fine Gael taking 58.7 per cent of the vote in Granard and almost 35 per cent in Ballymahon.

In Kerry, with all boxes opened in Castleisland, Jackie Healy-Rae, son of Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae, is polling very well. Tallies show he has secured 2,892 votes, or 30.2 per cent, meaning he should be elected on the first count with a surplus.

In Meath, where Sinn Féin has three councillors, the party is running 14 candidates. However, overall tallies across the six electoral areas showed the party polling at on average of 13.1 per cent, behind Fine Gael at 25.6 per cent and Fianna Fáil at 19.8 per cent.

European elections

European elections: In Dublin, Barry Andrews of Fianna Fáil is attracting many first preferences and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty is in with a shot of taking a seat. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

In the EU elections, early tallies were running broadly in line with recent polls.

In Ireland South, initial tallies showed Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil and Seán Kelly of Fine Gael performing strongly. Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion and Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú were said to be in contention.

In Dublin, Barry Andrews of Fianna Fáil is attracting many first preferences and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty is in with a shot of taking a seat.

In Midlands-North-West, Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen, ex-RTÉ Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly, Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry and her party colleague Maria Walsh and Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan are said to be going well.

Tallies for the position of Limerick City mayor show Independent candidate John Moran leading in both the city and county areas followed closely by Helen O’Donnell, also Independent.

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