Local election results: Dozens of seats filled as counting continues ...

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

Dozens of seats have been filled in the local elections but first count results are still awaited in a large number of local electoral areas (LEAs).

Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Independent candidates have filled the vast majority of the seats declared so far, with incumbent Independent Thomas Welby in Galway County Council’s Connemara North electoral area topping the poll and becoming the first person past the post in this year’s elections.

Connemara North was also the first electoral area to come to a conclusion, with Séamus Walsh, who stood as an Independent after resigning from Fianna Fáil in a row over refugee accommodation, elected on the second count and Eileen Mannion (Fine Gael) and Gerry King (Fianna Fáil) re-elected on the fourth.

[ Election results count: Follow live ]

Ballot boxes started to open around the country from 9am, with 949 council seats and 14 in the European Parliament up for grabs. Tallying has been completed at this stage, with counts having commenced in the vast majority of centres.

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 multi-candidate strategies have not worked out in many areas.

Robert Brosnan was the first Sinn Féin candidate elected, passing the quota on the fourth count in Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry. Anecdotally, however, many candidates the party added to ballot papers appear to be struggling, with tallies and early results falling short of expectations for a party aiming to lead the next government.

The Green Party is polling ahead of expectations at local level, with Hazel Chu reelected to Dublin City Council’s Pembroke ward on the first count. The party’s vote share is down in the capital but many of those elected last time around had significant surpluses and look set to be returned.

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,” he 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.”

[ Five things revealed by Saturday's election results ]

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said his party was doing much better than the polls and many pundits had predicted. Results aside, he said he and his Coalition partners are committed to the Government running its full term and he ruled out an autumn general election, saying it would likely be held next February or March. He predicted the party would gain a European seat in Midlands-North-West, where it has three candidates including TD Barry Cowen.

Labour sources were optimistic about early indications in areas such as Drogheda, Wexford and Cork.

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

Dublin results

In Dublin, Fine Gael and the Green Party filled the first two seats on Dublin City Council. James Geoghegan (FG) topped the poll in the Pembroke area and was elected on the first count along with Ms Chu. Fine Gael’s Emma Blain and Labour’s Dermot Lacey were elected in the Pembroke area on the second count.

The Green Party will not repeat its astonishing 2019 performance on the city council but should see several candidates win or retain their seats. The Greens are also in with a shout of holding their six seats on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

The Social Democrats are doing well in Dublin, 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-immigrationcandidate Kevin Coyle also in contention. Of the many far-right candidates running in Dublin, Gavin Pepper in Ballymun-Finglas and Malachy Steenson in the North Inner City appear to be best placed to take a seat.

‘No massive breakthrough’

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said that despite immigration being raised by voters during election campaigning, there was “no massive breakthrough for the far-right” based on tallies and results on Saturday evening. “That can only be a good thing,” the Fianna Fáil TD said at Cork City Hall.

In Cork City North West, the first two seats went to outgoing councillors Damian Boylan (Fine Gael) and Tony Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil), who exceeded the quota on the first count.

Fianna Fáil’s Seamus Coyle and Fine Gael’s Richard Truell took the first seats on Monaghan County Council, having been re-elected on the first count in the Ballybay Clones LEA.

Fine Gael has landed a double success in Galway County Council’s Tuam electoral area, with Andrew Reddington and Peter Roche reelected with significant surpluses which could bring home the party’s third candidate, Galway Bay FM sports editor Ollie Turner.

In Kildare, Social Democrat Claire O’Rourke, a retired HSE counsellor and first-time candidate, was elected on the first count in the Celbridge LEA and took a seat, along with Fianna Fáil poll-topper David Trost, also a first-time candidate.

In Kilkenny, Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere of Fianna Fáil topped the poll in Callan-Thomastown and was elected on the first count, as were his Fianna Fáil colleague Joe Sheridan and Joe Lyons of Fine Gael. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil should win the fourth and fifth seats with Sinn Féin in contention for the sixth.

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

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

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. Counting in Meath will not begin until Sunday.

European elections

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

In Ireland South, Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil and Seán Kelly of Fine Gael appear to have done well, and Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion and Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú were said to be in contention.

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 Dublin, Barry Andrews of Fianna Fáil is attracting many first preferences and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty is also 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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