LIVE: 2024 Laois Local Elections Day Two
Live coverage from the Portlaoise count centre on day two of the 2024 Local Elections.
21.17
Fianna Fáil's Joey Kennedy has been eliminated following the third count of the Graiguecullen/Portarlington area.
His 625 votes will now be distributed.
Ben Brennan received 135 votes from Eoin Barry's distribution - the Independent now sits on 1,492 votes, and has taken the lead in the poll.
He's 94 votes off reaching the quota.
Fianna Fáil's Paschal McEvoy is narrowly trailing, at 1,427.
21.07
A third count of the Graiguecullen/Portarlington area is due shortly.
20.34
Bryan Corrigan, of Labour, has been eliminated after the first count in Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick.
His 99 votes will now be distributed.
It represents the second Labour candidate to be eliminated from Laois, after Eoin Barry's disqualification in Graiguecullen/Portarlington.
Conor Bergin, of Fine Gael, tops the poll, with 1,606 votes - he's 106 shy of reaching the quota of 1,712.
He's trailed by Fianna Fáil's Paddy Bracken, with 1,452, followed by Independent James Kelly with 1,408, and Fine Gael's John King's 1,353 votes.
Ollie Clooney is at 1,245, while Fine Gael's Paddy Buggy and Fianna Fáil's Seamus McDonald are neck and neck for the sixth and final seat, with just 20 votes separating the two.
Here's the full breakdown after the first count:
20.22
An announcement from the first count from the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick LEA is expected shortly.
20.06
Labour's Eoin Barry has been eliminated after the second count in the Graiguecullen/Portarlington area.
His 557 votes will now be distributed.
Fianna Fáil's Paschal McEvoy continues to top the poll.
After the result, Mr. Barry said 'it wasn't meant to be,' and he's thanking all of those who helped him with his campaign.
Here's how things stand in the area:
19.13
The first count in the Graiguecullen/Portarlington area has been revealed.
Nobody has been deemed elected, and Fianna Fáil's Paschal McEvoy topped the poll, with 1,402 votes.
Sinn Féin's Aidan Mullins is coming in second, with 1,359, while Independent candidate Ben Brennan is in third, with 1,350.
Green Party candidate Charlie Hackett received the lowest number of votes, at 214, and has been disqualified.
The quota is 1,586.
Here's how things are shaping up in the LEA:
16.36
Laois is the only county in the country to not have a first count announced.
It was in contention with Meath, which has just revealed the first count.
Fine Gael's Conor Bergin is set to top the polls in Borris in Ossory/Mountmellick, however he doesn't expect to be elected on the first count.
He explains how he's strengthened his campaign since the last Local Elections:
15.52
There's yet to be a first count announced at the Portlaoise centre, however one is expected in Borris in Ossory/Mountmellick soon.
Laois is joined by Meath as the only two counties in the country to not have a first count announced in the 2024 Local Elections.
14.10
Independent Ben Brennan is set to top the polls in the Graiguecullen/Portarlington, and continue a steady trend of improving in the polls in every Local Election in the polls since 2009.
He has this advice for anyone on the cusp of being eliminated, or in a tight contest for a final seat:
13.06The ballot papers have been moved from the 'pigeon holes' in all three LEAs, and counting is underway.
It's expected the first count in Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick will be announced in a matter of hours.
That's likely to be followed by Graiguecullen/Portarlington, while Portlaoise is lagging behind in the count.
12.46
Portarlington Sinn Féin rep, Caroline Dwane Stanley, is a shoe-in for a seat, according to the tally results.
However, the party is looking unlikely to gain a third seat in the county, with Aaron Kelly vying for the final seat in Graiguecullen/Portarlington.
Ms. Dwane Stanley explains where she feels it went wrong for Sinn Féin:
11.46
Five boxes weren't tallied in the Portlaoise area yesterday, with some candidates speculating they may see a bump up in votes as a result when the first count is revealed.
Fianna Fáil's Naeem Iqbal is among those, and says he's curious to see how much he benefits:
11.10
Good morning from the Laois County Council count centre in Portlaoise.
The count process is just resuming, with the announcement of a first count expected this afternoon.
