LIVE: Election 2024 – Counts Underway

By
Dan Pitcher
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Counting is underway in the general election 2024.

Last night’s exit poll showed Sinn Fein JUST marginally ahead of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, however as recent years have shown, polls can be deceiving.

This is Daniel Pitcher reporting from the Dublin West count centre in Dublin 15. I will be giving snapshots of how people have voted here, and with Eoin Glackin in the RDS, keeping an eye on other constituencies.

 

10:00 – 12% of boxes open in Dublin West; Fianna Fail’s Jack Chambers is on 22% and Sinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly at 21%, Fine Gael’s Emer Currie 12%, Ruth Coppinger People Before Profit 9%.

Independent Tania Doyle is at 7 per cent, Ellen Murphy of Social Democrats and Ellen Troy of Aontú are both at 6 per cent.

Roderic O’Gorman Green Party 4%.

10:24 – Taking a look at some tallies elsewhere in Dublin, and the Dublin Central constituency will be a focal one, with Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald, in her bid to become Taoiseach, along with Gary Gannon from Social Democrats and Paschal Donohoe battling it out to top the poll, however a candidate who could be hot on their heels is Independent candidate Gerrard Hutch, who is polling well, particularly in the Inner City.

10:30 – It looks like the race in Dublin West is shaping up to be quite competitive, with Sinn Féin’s Paul Donnelly now edging ahead of Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers, albeit by a slim margin. The current tally shows Donnelly on 21% of first-preference votes, while Chambers is just behind at 20%. This indicates a tight battle for the top spot, and with 25% of boxes counted, there’s still plenty of room for shifts in the results.

Emer Currie from Fine Gael, at 14%, is holding steady in third place but still has some ground to cover if she wants to challenge for a top two finish. The fact that Ruth Coppinger from People Before Profit Solidarity is sitting at 9% shows there’s strong support for left-wing alternatives, but she’ll need a significant surge to contend for a seat.

Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, on 6%, along with Social Democrat Ellen Murphy, also on 6%, are both in the mid-tier range, which could see them benefit from transfers later in the count, depending on how preferences flow from eliminated candidates.

It’s still a relatively open race, with candidates like Aontú’s Ellen Troy and Independent Tania Doyle sitting at 5%, and others lower down the rankings.

A lot will depend on how preferences transfer as candidates are eliminated and votes are redistributed.

It’s looking like the race could tighten even further as more boxes are tallied—definitely one to watch!

10:37

10:50 – Meath East – In the latest tally of votes Fine Gael is leading with 38%, followed by Fianna Fáil on 20% and Sinn Féin with 18%.

Fine Gael’s Helen McEntee has secured 720 votes, while Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne has 286 and Sinn Féin’s Darren O’Rourke has 307 votes.

Aontú’s Emer Toibín is on 11% (223 votes), and Independent Gillian Toole trails with 9% (41 votes). Smaller parties and Independents have a combined 14%.

The race remains tight, with Fine Gael holding a strong position, but Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil close behind.

12:12 – They have flown through the boxes in Dublin West. 100% of boxes opened, with Jack Chambers of Fianna Fail looking like he will top the poll on 22%, just ahead of Sinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly on 17%.

 

13:44 – In the Wicklow constituency, Fine Gael’s Simon Harris looks on course to retain his seat, they are over halfway through the boxes and he’s on 30.7%.

Sinn Féin’s John Brady is performing strongly with 14.4% of the vote, closely followed by the Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore at 13.7%.

Meanwhile, Stephen Donnelly is under pressure with just 6.4%, and could face a tough fight as more boxes are tallied. Edward Timmins is not far behind on 5.7%, while Green Party’s Stephen Matthews is in a precarious position, polling at only 4.2%.

14:30 – In the Meath East constituency, Helen McEntee is estimated to have 20% of the vote. Fianna Fail’s Thomas Byrne and Sinn Fein’s Darren O’Rourke are both on 13% of the vote.

Currently edging fourth place there is the Independent candidate Gillian Toole on 10%.

14:38 – Dublin Central – With 100% of the boxes tallied, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald appears set to secure the first seat, followed by Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe and Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats, both of whom look on track for a comfortable win.

The real contest now is for the fourth seat, with Labour’s Marie Sherlock and Fianna Fáil’s Mary Fitzpatrick locked in a tight race. It’s shaping up to be a closely contested finish for that final spot as the vote transfers come into play.

14:41 – Dublin West Reaction to tallies from Sinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly, who is on course to retain his seat.

16:13 – Wicklow – Simon Harris is leading the pack with a strong 30.4% of first-preference votes, positioning him well to secure one of the top spots.

His solid performance could also help bring in his running mate, Edward Timmins, once Harris’ surplus votes are redistributed.

Sinn Féin’s John Brady and the Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore are also performing well, with Brady at 14.6% and Whitmore at 13.5%, both strong contenders for seats.

Meanwhile, Stephen Donnelly is facing a tough challenge with just 6.3% of the vote and looks increasingly vulnerable.

Timmins, trailing slightly at 5.3%, could still have a chance if he benefits from Harris’ surplus. Green Party’s Stephen Matthews, at 4.1%, is looking increasingly out of contention, making it unlikely he’ll make it through to the later stages.

More to follow…

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