Local Elections 2024 Kerry: Kenmare tallies indicate a new face from Killorglin

Two new faces are set to be elected in the area and tallies are showing one of those to be first-time Independent candidate Podge Foley with 7.6% of the vote. Also here could be Fine Gael candidate Teddy O’Sullivan Casey (7.7%) who replaced Cllr Patrick Connor Scarteen who retired this year.

In the mix also is Fianna Fail candidate Ken O’Sullivan on 5.5%. Transfers as they are say are everything.

Dan McCarthy (Independent) also holding on according to tallies with 5.7% of the vote and the fight is likely to be between him and Mr O’Sullivan for the last seat.

Kerry’s longest serving Cllr Michael Cahill (FF) with 34 years on the council is also set to be elected again and Cllr Norma Moriarty (FF).

The estimated poll is 2,132. The electorate is 22,794 and the turn-out is 65.4%

7.20pm Killarney Electoral Tallies show no change in this electoral area with Maura Healy-Rae set to top the poll with an increased vote from last time around and with 24.2% of the vote.

This time around however, Martin Grady, who co-opted to his father’s seat since 2019 has taken 14.7% of the vote. This is a significant increase on his father’s vote in 2010.

John O’Donoghue (KIA) who was also co-opted since 2019 also polled well although lower than his uncle Micheal Gleeson’s vote in 2019.

Tallies are showing that Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan (Independent) increased his vote slightly and Cllrs Niall Kelleher although only marginally and based on tallies.

Cllr Brendan Cronin (Independent) and Cllr Marie Moloney (Labour) also to be elected based on tallies.

The estimated quota is 1,704. The electorate is 22,266 and turn-out is 61.2%

7:09pm: Sinn Féin candidate Robert Brosnan has made the breakthrough that his party has worked towards for decades by winning a seat in the fourth count in the Corca Dhuibhne LEA.

With a final vote of 2,131, Brosnan exceeded the quota after transfers from Peadar Ó Fionnáin were distributed. The surplus of Robert Brosnan will now be counted.

6.56pm: Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae has been elected to the Castleisland LEA on the first count with a staggering 2,890 votes, 954 votes more than the quota of 1,936.

The second highest candidate in the four-seater constituency is Charlie Farrelly (Ind) on 1,803; Fionnán Fitzgerald (FF) with 1,541, and Bobby O’Connell (FG) on 1,466 votes.

Jackie Healy-Rae’s surplus of 954 is now being distributed.

6.15pm First time candidate Liam ‘Speedy’ Nolan is the big news in the Listowel Electoral Area according to the tallies.

The Independent candidate – a very close ally of the Healy-Rae’s and long-time campaigner for the family – has garnered 15.3% of the vote.

He is just behind FG candidate and sitting councillor Mike Kennelly who is set to top the poll with 15.6% of the vote. His party colleague Michael Foley (FG) is also likely to keep his seat with 14.1% of the vote.

Another first time candidate for FF Michael Leane is also making news here and has outpolled sitting FF Cllr Jimmy Moloney. Mr Leane has 12% of the vote according to tallies with Cllr Moloney on 9.2%. He may struggle to keep his seat and could be in a battle with new SF candidate Marion O’Sullivan Falvey on 8.8%.

Cllr Tom Barry (SF) is likely to keep his seat on 11.4% of the vote. But of course everything comes down to transfers in the end.

5:42pm: Tommy Griffin of Fine Gael has been elected to the Corca Dhuibhne LEA after the third count at the John Mitchel’s GAA Club in Tralee.

He exceeded the quota of 1,966 after transfers from Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald gave him 197 in surplus votes to bring him to 2,041.

Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, Tommy Griffin was the first to be lifted on the shoulders as a successful candidate in the Kerry elections. Having narrowly lost out on a seat in 2019, he is happy to have gone one better this time.

“We did five years of work, that’s what it is. We represent the people of this constituency,” he told The Kerryman.

“From west to east, after the last election I kept going. This day I felt was a long way away at the time, but it wasn’t long in coming around. I want to work and improve efficiency in the council,” he said.

Peadar Ó Fionnáin of the Green Party has been eliminated on 1,242 votes.

5.20pm Final tally for Tralee Electoral area indicates that sitting Fianna Fail councillor Mikey Sheehy with 15.4% of the vote will top the poll with a significant increase in his vote from 2019 and well above the quota.

Labour’s Terry O’Brien also looks safe with 11.3% of the vote as does Deirdre Ferris (SF) with 10.5% of the vote.

The party is likely to get a second seat with the brother of TD Pa Daly, Paul Daly, on 8.2% of the vote polling well in tallies but his win could lead to the loss of the current councillor Cathal Foley.

The party ran four candidates in the electoral area but are unlikely to increase their number of seats according to the tallies at least.

Independent Cllr Sam Locke is at 8.1% of the vote and likely to keep his seat.

FG likely to hold a seat in the area but it remains unclear which of their two candidates will win with Angie Baily and Sinead Donnelly on similar votes though the tallies put Angie slightly ahead.

In a surprising vote former FF TD Tom McEllistrim, now running as an Independent, has polled relatively well in the Tralee area taking 5.7%.

There is 7 seats here but the final seat will really come down to transfers and Tommy Mac can’t be ruled out just yet.

The estimated quota is 1,562. The electorate is 25,473 and the turn-out is 49%

4:38pm: Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald (FG) has lost his seat after the second count in the Corca Dhuibhne LEA.

Tommy Griffin (FG) is still shy of the quota by 122 votes. He received just 37 from Mike Kennedy’s (Lab) surplus putting him at 1,844.

Sinn Féin’s Robert Brosnan picked up 134 votes and is on 1,563.

Green Party candidate Peadar Ó Fionnáin received 119 transfers and is at 1,143. Michael O’Shea (FF) and Fitzgerald, Breandán (FF) are on 1,373 and 1,110 respectively.

Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald’s (FG) transfers are now being distributed.

3:39: The results of the first count in the Corca Dhuibhne LEA have been announced.

• Brosnan, Robert (Sinn Féin) 1,429.
• Griffin, Tommy (Fine Gael) 1,807.
• Fitzgerald, Breandán (Fianna Fáil) 1,014.
• Fitzgerald, Séamus Cosaí (Fine Gael) 740.
• Kennedy, Mike (Labour) 508.
• Ó Fionnáin, Peadar (Green Party) 1,024
• O’Shea, Michael D. (Fianna Fáil) 1, 338.

Electorate: 12,578.

Total poll: 7,966.

Total valid poll: 7,860.

No. of candidates: 7.

No. of seats. 3.

Quota: 1,966.

As no candidate has reached the quota on the first count, the transfers of the lowest candidate will be counted. Mike Kennedy of the Labour Party has been excluded. Tommy Griffin is 159 votes short of the quota.

3:08pm: Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae has said he is pleased with the tally result that looks set to easily return him as a councillor for the Castleisland LEA.

Jackie arrived at the count centre shortly before 3pm ahead of the first count.

“I just said that I would be happy if I could hold my vote from the last time. That was my aim and you’d have to be happy with that,” he said.

3pm: Here is the state of play for the parties in Kerry after two completed tallies

Corca Dhuibhne tallies show FG at 32% with an increase from the 2019 result while FF are at 30% in this electoral area – a decrease from their 2019 result.

It has been a great day for the Sinn Fein party with a significant increase from the party’s 2019 result in this area. According to tallies the party is on 19% here.

The Green party has also seen an increase from 2019 result standing at 13% of the vote.

It is a different state of play with the Castleisland Electoral area with Independents gaining here in this area standing at 59% of the tallied vote. All other parties have seen a decrease with FG on 15% and FF just ahead on 16% both down on 2019 results. Sinn Fein is on 8% of the vote according to the tallies.

2pm: Minister for Education Norma Foley (FF) says that the results will “come down to the wire.”

“Today reminds us that counts are a long long business. It will stretch over a couple days and it shows that ever vote counts. It really will go down the wire as we can see from the early tallies.”

“All boxes are open now and it adds to the high tension here…. There are a lot of candidates here and I admire that because personally I find the count really really trying. It is really difficult when you are a candidate.

12.22pm With counting underway in the Corca Dhuibhne LEA, early signs look particularly positive for Sinn Féin who did not win a seat in the Corca Dhuibhne LEA in 2019 but are on course to win one this time.

The battle for Fine Gael representation is interesting as Tommy Griffin tallied remarkably better than his party running mate, and incumbent councillor, Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald who looks to be in trouble.

A first result is expected in the early afternoon. Early predictions would suggest one seat for Sinn Féin and Fine Gael, with a battle for the final seat between two Fianna Fáil candidates, Breandán Fitzgerald and Michael O’Shea. Green Party candidate Peadar Ó Fionnáin is also in with shout.

11.15am The 34 Castleisland boxes have now been opened and tallied and once again Jackie Healy-Rae – the son of Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae – is set to top the poll with 30.2% of the vote and likely to have a quota and a half when final figures are tallied

It appears there is to be little change in this area with Cllr Charlie Farrelly (Independent) also set to retain his seat standing at 18.4% of the vote.

Fionnán Fitzgerald (FF) is also performing well and set to retain his seat at 15.7% of the vote following closed behind FG candidate and another sitting councillor Bobby O’Connell at 15.3% of the vote.

Controversial candidate Michelle Keane (Independent) has polled well taken 10.1% of the vote but is unlikely to get a seat but of course transfers are what it is all about.

Interestingly she polled well in Knocknogoshel where she is from but also outpolled Deirdre Bell (SF) who is from the same area.

Sinn Fein had a poor performance in this electoral area at 7.5% of the vote. It has also been a bad day for the Green Party and Aontú with just over 1% of the vote each.

The electorate is 15,082 and turn-out was 63.4%. The estimated quota is around 1,921,

10.30am: All 28 boxes in the Corca Dhuibhne Local Electoral Area have now been tallied and there is set to be changes ahead.

It appears likely that Tommy Griffin (FG) with 22.5% of the vote will top the poll according to tallies and win a seat.

So too will Sinn Fein with their candidate Robert Brosnan, on 18.6% of the vote. They both failed to get a seat in 2019.

Cllr Mike O’Shea (FF) has also polled well in the tallies with 17%. The Green party candidate has had a great performance with Peadar Ó Fionnán polling well with a current 12.9% of the vote. Both of these may end up fighting it out for a seat although transfers may not go towards the Greens.

Breandán Fitzgerald (FF) is on a par with the Green party candidate at 13% and will be in the battle too.

Sitting councillor Seamus Cosaí Fitzgerald (FG) with 9.4% of the vote could lose his seat.

Mike Kennedy, a local auctioneer, currently looks like he will be eliminated first with just 6.8% of the vote according to the tallies. He is a first time candidate.

There was a 60.5% turnout in area, which has an electorate of 12,324. The estimated quota is 1,911

Tallying is continuing with the Castleisland boxes now open.

Kerry has 77 candidates – the largest number in living memory – vying for 33 seats.