Counting of votes in the Seanad election is continuing, with five candidates from the north west seeking seats.
The count, across three venues in Dublin, will result in 49 of the 60 seats of the Upper House being filled.
The counting of Seanad votes for those candidates on the Agricultural panel will begin later this afternoon for 11 seats, after counting of votes on the Cultural and Educational panel is completed.
Among the candidates on the Agricultural panel are two from the north west, outgoing Independent Senator Brian O Domhnaill from Gortahork in Donegal and former Fianna Fail TD Niall Blaney, from Letterkenny.
Among the local candidates on the Labour panel are Martina Harkin-Kelly from Ballisodare, president of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation; and Eileen Flynn, from Ardara, Co Donegal, development officer with the National Traveller Women’s Forum.
The counting for the Labour panel will start on Wednesday afternoon.
The cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Tom MacSharry is seeking a Seanad seat on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, for which counting will start on Thursday.
This morning, Galway’s TD Sean Kyne became the first person to take a seat in the 26th Seanad.
The outgoing Minister of State and former Fine Gael TD made the quota of 188,834 votes with 192,000 votes on the 14th count.
He was the first of five Senators to be elected from the Cultural and Educational panel.
The Green party’s Saoirse McHugh looks unlikely to be elected due to a lack of transfers at this stage.
Meanwhile, despite the notorious unpredictability of Seanad elections, sources close to the process tell Ocean FM News that the candidate from the north west with, possibly, the best chance of success is outgoing Senator O Domhnaill.
Meanwhile, among those on the Cultural and Education panel is Fianna Fail Councillor Kate Feeney from Stillorgan in Dublin, a past pupil of Sligo Grammar School who is president of Ogra Fianna Fail, and daughter of former Senator Geraldine Feeney.
