Counting ongoing in European elections

Counting continues for the European Parliament elections today with just one MEP elected so far in the Ireland South constituency at the time of going to print.

Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly topped the poll on Tuesday on the first count which saw the Killarney native exceed the quota by more than 8,000 votes.

Next in the poll, Cork Fianna Fáil candidate Billy Kelleher, looks poised to become the second MEP elected in Ireland South.

As of going to print yesterday, Wednesday, Mr Kelleher currently sat well ahead of the remaining pack with 95,000-plus votes. He gained 1,963 of Sean Kelly’s surplus votes, however it was not enough to reach the quota of 114,761.

Behind him, a tight pack of five candidates has formed to fight it out for the remaining three seats in the five-seat constituency.

These are Independent Michael McNamara with 60,000-plus votes. Nipping at his heals in fourth place in the poll is Fianna Fáil's Cynthia Ní Mhurchu with more than 55,000 votes. In fifth, Independents4Change candidate Mick Wallace holds 56,000-plus votes, with Sinn Féin's Kathleen Funchion sitting in sixth with 53,000-plus votes. Green Party's Grace O'Sullivan remains the bottom of the main contenders with more than 50,000 votes.

Sitting MEPs Mick Wallace and Grace O’Sullivan could lose their seats depending on how counts go today and tomorrow.

By time of going to print, at least 12 candidates have been excluded including former Cork councillor Lorna Bogue who had 10,826 votes. The first to be excluded was Independent Cork candidate Ciaran O'Riordan in the second count after earning 2,485 votes.

With transfers proving difficult to predict, it is expected that counting will go well into Friday as the race for the final three seats takes shape.