Local elections 2024 – Galway City Council: Cubbard tops the poll ...

Mr Cubbard (Ind) has a loyal supporter base in his home area and blew past the quota with 19.5pc of the vote. Sitting mayor Eddie Hoare has also been elected with a big surplus which should transfer to his party colleague Frank Fahy.

John McDonagh (Labour), who lost by a single vote following two recounts in 2019, has performed well. Tallypeople have told me his chances of election jumped following Collette Connolly’s decision not to seek reelection.

Sinn Féin were confident Mark Lohan would return to his seat in Central after losing out in 2019 but he trails both McDonagh (8.4pc) and Social Democrat Eibhlín Seoighthe (7.5pc).

Another seat could be up for grabs here with Martina O’Connor (Green Party), from the same area as McDonagh and Seoighthe in Shantalla, behind on 4.2pc.

Meanwhile results of the first nine counts in Galway City East make good reading for Fianna Fáil and sitting independents with a fight on the cards for the final two seats, though no one has yet been elected.

Declan McDonnell, an independent councillor and former Progressive Democrat is topping the poll on 13pc and is all but certain to hold his seat just 78 votes away from the quota.

Just behind also on 13pc is Fianna Fáil councillor Alan Cheevers – his colleague Michael J Crowe is also polling well on 9pc, though some tallypeople feel he is not transfer friendly and it’s too early to call if he will hold.

Newcomers Shane Forde (Fine Gael), Aisling Burke (Sinn Féin) and Helen Ogbu (Labour) are neck-and-neck on 8pc each, with Ms Ogbu jumping ahead in the pack of three through strong transfers from eliminated Joyce Mathias (Green Party)

Pádraig Conneely, the former Fine Gael ‘maverick mayor’ of Galway city, was doubtful Mr Forde would benefit from transfers from his running mate Aisling Keogh who has been eliminated.

The Labour camp in Westside Community Centre were all smiles with news coming in from across the country of a mini revival for the party. Labour tallypeople are confident in their chances of picking up one seat in each LEA here.

Sinn Féin, looking to improve on a disappointing 2019 result where the party lost all three of its seats, may be pinning all their hopes here on Ms Burke with Mr Lohan trailing in Central.

Initial counts spelled trouble for Noel Larkin, the sitting councillor who recently joined the newly formed Independent Ireland party – the former independent is polling at 5.8pc.

At least one seat is up for grabs in East, likely two barring a huge fightback from Mr Larkin – the Social Democrats’ Alan Curran, co-opted to a seat there following the resignation of Owen Hanley, is running in West this time out.

The party are pleasantly surprised by Mr Curran’s performance and he looks to have made the move to his home patch of Salthill safely. The last two seats in East will could come down to a three-way race between Mr Forde, Ms Burke and Ms Ogbu.

Donal Lyons (Independent), known locally as the ‘King of Knocknacarra’, is on to top the poll in West for the sixth time while Clodagh Higgins (FG), John Connolly (FF) and Peter Keane (FF) are in position to hold based on tallies of 97pc of boxes.

Incumbents Níall McNelis (Labour) and Niall Murphy (Green Party), both around 7.5pc, could have to battle it out for the final seat in a race for six between seven outgoing councillors.

Counting will continue in Westside Community Centre from 9.30am on Sunday with the first count still to come in West.

Returning officer Gary McMahon told us everything was operating hours ahead of schedule compared to 2019 today, so expect plenty of results to come in across all three Galway city LEAs throughout the day on Sunday.