Galway West: Farrell tops the poll on the first count - Connacht ...
Sinn Féin’s Mairéad Farrell has topped the poll in Galway West – the first woman to do so in the history of Dáil General Elections in this constituency.
The Mervue woman took 8,164 first preferences in the first count and will comfortably hold the seat she won in 2020.
Others in contention to take a seat in the five-seater are Noel Grealish (Ind), Catherine Connolly (Ind), and John Connolly (FF), with two Fine Gael candidates (Sean Kyne and Hildegarde Naughton) and Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas in a three-way battle for the final seat.
Patrick Feeney (Ind) has been excluded and his 52 votes will be distributed when counting resumes at 9am tomorrow.
There were 196 ballot boxes from polling stations across Galway West, a diverse constituency that stretches from Claregalway, Carnmore and Oranmore in the east, through Galway City, and out to Connemara, the Aran Islands and Inishbofin.
There are five seats to fill, and 17 candidates.
Sitting TDs include Catherine Connolly (Ind), Noel Grealish (Ind), Hildegarde Naughten (FG) and Mairéad Farrell (SF).
Galway West
No of Seats: 5
Electorate: 103,713
Total poll: 60,652
Spoiled: 375
Valid poll: 60,277
Quota: 10,047
FIRST COUNT:
*Farell, Mairéad (SF) 8,164
Connolly, John (FF) 7,192
*Grealish, Noel (Ind) 6,887
*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) 6,747
*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) 6,011
Thomas, Noel (Ind) 5,700
Kyne, Séan (FG) 5,335
Seoige, Gráinne (FF) 2,929
Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) 2,172
Cubbard, Mike (Ind) 2,219
O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) 1,839
Ogbu, Helen (Labour) 1,973
Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) 1,233
McMaster, Maisie (Sol-PBP) 905
McMahon, Doran (Irish Freedom) 450
Cahill, AJ (The Irish People) 469
Feeney, Patrick (Ind) 52
Feeney eliminated and votes to be distributed tomorrow
(*sitting TD)
