Independent Senator Michael McDowell has been elected on the first count in the NUI Seanad election with 11,390 votes, with a surplus of 2,361 votes.
Outgoing Senator Rónan Mullen is in second place with 7,452 followed by Senator Alice Mary Mary Higgins on 6,872. Both are expected to be re-elected when counting resumes at 10am on Thursday on the National University of Ireland panel.
Green Party Cllr Eva Dowling polled 3,239 first preferences followed by geriatrician Rónán Collins on 2,604.
In the Trinity College ballot Lynn Ruane topped the poll on the first count with 3,761 votes followed by fellow Senator Tom Clonan on 3,473 with entrepreneur Aubrey McCarthy in third place on 1,814.
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Former rugby international Hugo MacNeill polled in fourth place on 1,684 with Green Party Cllr Hazel Chu in fifth position on 1,450 closely followed by party colleague and former minister Ossian Smyth on 1,380.
Labour’s Sadhbh O’Neill is next on 1,085 followed by eighth place former minister Katherine Zappone on 950 votes.
Counting continues at 9am on Thursday.
The quota is 4,450 from a total valid poll of 17,797. Just 24 votes were spoiled, once citing “1 person 1 vote” and a second stating “Shitehawk Central” where the voting numbers should have been.
Spoiled NUI votes included a few with the message demanding Seanad reform and calling for a free Palestine.
Polls closed at 11am on Wednesday for both the NUI and Dublin University (Trinity College) panels while counting starts on Thursday for the five vocational panels at 11am when voting ends.
In the Trinity panel Lynn Ruane was leading after the final tally, on 21.45 per cent followed by fellow Senator Tom Clonan on 19.75 per cent.
Entrepreneur Aubrey McCarthy is in third place on 10.36 per cent while former Ireland rugby international Hugo MacNeill has 9.21 per cent in the tallies.
Green Party councillor and former Dublin mayor Hazel Chu lies in fifth place on 7.95 per cent followed closely by party colleague and former minister Ossian Smyth on 7.63 per cent.
Labour’s Sadhbh O’Neill is on 5.7 per cent in seventh place while former minister Katherine Zappone is eighth on 5.27 per cent.
Ms Ruane said “I don’t see anyone being elected on the first count”.
With an estimated 18,000 ballots the Trinity quota is expected to be around 4,500 votes.
The NUI electorate is 112,832 with an estimated 36,000 turnout or close to 32 per cent while Trinity estimates turnout at 23 per cent to 24 per cent of the 76,000 eligible voters.
Former minister for children Katherine Zappone has the highest profile of the 16 candidates but is struggling to get elected.
At the next Seanad election expected in 2029 an expanded list of graduates from 15 colleges will vote for six higher education senators, all on one panel.
The counting in Leinster House of the five vocational panels where 111 candidates are competing for 43 seats, will begin with the Cultural and Education panel, and is expected to run into bank holiday Monday.
Following the completion of the seven panel counts Taoiseach Micheál Martin will nominate 11 Senators to complete the Seanad’s 60 Upper House members.
NUI first count:
Total poll: 36,151
Invalid votes: 37
Total Valid Poll: 36,114
Quota: 9,029
Number of seats: 3
Number of candidates: 12
- Adams, Sandra 597
- Beirne, Hilary 362
- Collins, Rónán 2,604
- Dowling, Eva 3,239
- Higgins, Alice-Mary 6,872
- Keenan, Marie 1,009
- Kenny, Mairead 417
- Kilmartin, Dara 703
- McDowell, Michael 11,390
- Mullen, Rónán 7,452
- O’Doherty, Michael 446
- O’Shea Farren, Linda 1,023
Michael McDowell elected with a surplus of 2,361 votes to be distributed
University of Dublin first count:
Total Poll: 17,821
Invalid Votes: 24
Valid Poll: 17,797
Number of seats: 3
Number of candidates: 16
- Ali O’Shea, Abbas 55
- Byrne, Derek 87
- Byrne, Kevin 495
- Chu, Hazel 1450
- Clonan, Tom 3473
- De Brún, Laoise 593
- MacNeill, Hugo 1,684
- Matthews, Marcus 186
- McCarthy, Aubrey 1,814
- Mulcahy, John (Jack) 140
- Mulville, Paul 305
- Oluborode, Ade 339
- O’Neill, Sadhbh 1,085
- Ruane, Lynn 3,761
- Smyth, Ossian 1,380
- Zappone, Katherine 950
No candidate reached the quota and Abbas Ali O’Shea was excluded.
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