Local elections 2024 – Laois County Council: No one elected on first ...

Local dairy farmer Willie Aird has topped the poll for Fine Gael, as he did in 2019, for the Portlaoise district in Laois.

The popular farmer, whose farm is on the outskirts of Portlaoise town, received 1540 first preference votes, putting him over the 1460 quota.

Sinn Fein's Caroline Dwane Stanley received 1415 first preference votes in the first count, with Fianna Fail's John Joe Fennelly on 1147.

Tommy Mulligan (Ind) is fourth after the first count (1099 votes) and Catherine Fitzgerald (FF) lies in fifth, followed by Barry Walsh (FG) and Marie Tuohy.

It comes after Fianna Fail's Paschal McEvoy topped the poll in the first count to come from Laois – Graiguecullen/Portarlington.

While no candidate has reached the quota, of 1,586, McEvoy received 1,402 first preference, just ahead of Sinn Fein's Aidan Mullins who received 1,359 and Independent candidate Ben Brennan (1,350 vote).

The poll was 11,229 with 133 invalid ballot papers, leaving a valid poll of 11,096.

The counting of votes started on Sunday with Portlaoise the last to see the count underway.

After a late night for staff, with the count centre in Portlaoise being locked up at 1am, but no counting started, the centre re-opened at 11am with counting beginning.

The last tally before the local votes were moved from Scoil Chriost Ri to the Kea-Lew Business Park showed that Fine Gael’s position in Portlaoise had improved, with Willie Aird topping the tally at 14pc and Barry Walsh leaping into 6th position on the tally (7pc).

It’s been a tough election for first time candidate Charlie Hackett. The 20-year old son of Minister Pippa Hackett, who was first to be eliminated in the Graiguecullen/Portarlington district.