Entrepreneur and charity founder Aubrey McCarthy has been elected to the final seat in the Dublin University (TCD) Seanad constituency.
Following a request for a recount from Green party Cllr Hazel Chu, the revised count confirmed his victory.
A recount was requested after just 31 votes separated Green Party councillor Hazel Chu and entrepreneur Aubrey McCarthy on the 15th and final count.
Following the recheck Mr McCarthy ended up with 3,770 votes, an increase of 49 on his 3,741 original tally.Ms Chu’s vote dropped by four from 3,710 to 3,706.
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But the party secured a Seanad victory when former minister of State Malcolm Noonan topped the poll on the vocational Agricultural panel and has been elected.
Mr Noonan exceeded the 95 vote quota to reach 107 first preferences. Newcomer Sinn Féin’s Joanne Collins was also elected with 106 votes, followed by sitting Independent Senator Victor Boyhan.
Mr McCarthy’s election completes the line-up for the two university constituencies. He joins Senators Lynn Ruane and Tom Clonan who were re-elected to TCD.
In the National University of Ireland (NUI) constituency poll topper Independent Michael McDowell was re-elected as were Independents Rónán Mullen and Alice Mary Higgins.
In the vocational election outgoing Fine Gael senator Tom Lombard is expected to lose his seat as is former Fianna Fáil turned Independent senator Eugene Murphy.
Outgoing Fianna Fáil senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee is understood to be considering her legal options after she lost her Seanad seat following a recount this morning.
She has not yet ruled out the possibility of court action in the wake of a recount on the vocational Cultural and Educational panel.
The North County Dublin-based politician, who came in a fraction of a vote behind Independent Co Waterford Cllr Joe Conway late last night in the complicated counting system, requested the 18th count be re-done.
The recount this morning did not change the result and she was deemed eliminated.
Preliminary paperwork has been submitted to leave open the possibility of legal action. Ms Clifford-Lee has been contacted for comment.
Party colleague Cllr Shane Curley from Loughrea, Co Galway secured the sole Fianna Fáil seat despite early expectations of two seats.
The party’s former Longford-Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty also failed in his bid to win a Seanad seat.
The five seats on the panel have now been filled and counting has moved to the Agricultural panel.
Former Sinn Féin Cavan-Monaghan TD Pauline Tully who topped the poll just two votes shy of the 191 quota was elected first.
Fine Gael Wexford Cllr Cathal Byrne has also been elected while Fine Gael Senator Seán Kyne has retained his seat.
Independent Tramore, Co Waterford Cllr Joe Conway secured the final seat on the panel.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Shane Curley and outgoing Fine Gael Senator Seán Kyne look set to be re-elected.
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