Twenty women are among the 49 Senators elected to the Seanad as the marathon count for two university constituencies and five vocational panels concluded.
The final count was the Administrative panel which saw the election of Fianna Fáil Mark Daly, his party colleagues Fiona O’Loughlin and Diarmuid Wilson, Fine Gael’s two outgoing Senators Garret Ahearn and Martin Conway, and Independent Eileen Flynn, the first woman Traveller in the Oireachtas.
The only new Senator on the panel is Sinn Féin Cork North-West candidate Nicole Ryan whose surplus transfers saw Ms O’Loughlin and Mr Wilson get elected to complete the count.
Labour candidate Dublin City Councillor Darragh Moriarty polled sufficient first preferences to put him in fifth place. However, in the final stages the gap was too big for him to overtake long-serving Senator Diarmuid Wilson when Clonmel, Co Tipperary Cllr Robbie Molloy’s transfers were distributed after his elimination.
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Former Independent TD Cathal Berry failed in his bid to be elected to the panel. After a surprise loss of his Kildare South seat in the general election, Mr Berry launched a campaign for the Seanad as an independent, facing an uphill battle. He was eliminated on the second count after coming in last of the 17 candidates on the Administrative panel.
[ Sinn Féin and Fine Gael gain in Seanad election but Fianna Fáil loses three seatsOpens in new window ]
As the count ended returning officer Martin Groves issued congratulations to the winners and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful. “I’m sure we’ll see you all on another day,” he added.
The Taoiseach will now nominate 11 Senators with six appointed by Micheál Martin and five by Tánaiste Simon Harris, with expectations that more women will be chosen.
The final count of the vocational panels leaves Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael with 13 Senators each. It was a seat gain for Fine Gael but Fianna Fáil are down three seats on their 2020 outcome, a result of a large number of candidates which it acknowledged had fractured the vote.
Sinn Féin has also gained an additional seat with the election of six Senators including high profile Stormont Minister for the Economy Conor Murphy and former Dublin Bay South TD Chris Andrews.
Labour had a disappointing Seanad outing with the loss of two seats, but have two new Senators Cork Councillor Laura Harmon and
The Independents are also up a seat with newcomer Joe Conway. There were historic breakthroughs for the Social Democrats’ Patricia Stephenson and Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly who become their parties’ first ever Senators.
The Green Party retained their seat with the election of former minister of State Malcolm Noonan.
There has been speculation that Mr Berry could be a Taoiseach’s nominee to the Upper House because of his defence expertise as a former Army Ranger, amid ongoing security and defence pressures on the Government.
He is among a number of former TDs who also lost out in their bid to retain an Oireachtas presence through the Seanad election.
Former Fianna Fáil minister of State Anne Rabbitte, who lost her Galway East Dáil seat in a shock defeat, was also unsuccessful in her bid to win a Seanad seat. So too was her party colleague Joe Flaherty in Longford-Westmeath and Fine Gael parliamentary chairman Alan Farrell in Dublin Fingal East.
Votes in the Seanad are multiplied by 1,000 to avoid counting difficulties due to the small electorate, made up of TDs, departing senators and county councillors.
Sinn Féin will have a totally new line up in the Seanad with five party colleagues including Mr Murphy who will resign his Northern Assembly role. It will include one veteran Oireachtas member, Chris Andrews, who lost his Dublin Bay South Dáil seat but was successful in the Seanad election.
Mr Murphy said he had contested the election because he believed he could be a voice in the Seanad, “which I think is important.
“We are in the middle of a constitutional debate on the future of the island. This is the place that needs to actually step up. its game and actively prepare and plan for such a constitutional referendum.
He hoped to use his voice “in terms of my relationship with a lot of people in government and all the political parties, to try and bring some influence to bear”.
Cultural and Educational Panel (5 Senators):
- Pauline Tully (Sinn Féin)
- Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
- Shane Curley (Fianna Fáil)
- Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
- Joe Conway (Independent)
Agricultural Panel (11 Senators):
- Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
- Joanne Collins (Sinn Féin)
- Victor Boyhan (Independent)
- Paul Daly (Fianna Fáil)
- Niall Blaney (Fianna Fáil)
- Teresa Costello (Fianna Fáil)
- Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
- Sarah O’Reilly (Aontú)
- Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)
- Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
- PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
Labour Panel (11 Senators):
- Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fáil)
- Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
- Chris Andrews (Sinn Féin)
- Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)
- Margaret Murphy O’Connor (Fianna Fáil)
- Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)
- Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
- Joe O’Reilly (Fine Gael)
- Pat Casey (Fianna Fáil)
- Maria McCormack (Sinn Féin)
- Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
Industrial and Commercial Panel (9 Senators):
- Sharon Keogan (Independent)
- Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fáil)
- Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fáil)
- Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)
- Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
- Laura Harmon (Labour)
- Frances Black (Independent)
- Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fáil)
- Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin)
Administrative Panel (7 Senators):
- Mark Daly (Fianna Fáil)
- Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
- Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
- Eileen Flynn (Independent)
- Nicole Ryan (Sinn Féin)
- Fiona O’Loughlin (Fianna Fáil)
- Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fáil)
National University of Ireland (3 Senators)
- Michael McDowell
- Rónán Mullen
- Alice-Mary Higgins
University of Dublin (TCD) (3 Senators)
- Lynn Ruane
- Tom Clonan
- Aubrey McCarthy
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