Oireachtas

Sinn Féin and Fine Gael gain in Seanad election but Fianna Fáil loses three seats

Votes in the Seanad counting system multiplied by 1,000 to avoid fractions, given small electorate of just 1,172

The count centre in the Seanad election at Leinster House, Dublin. Photograph: David Young/PA
The count centre in the Seanad election at Leinster House, Dublin. Photograph: David Young/PA
Marie O'Halloran
Mon Feb 03 2025 - 06:00

It was a long wait for Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland Minister for Economy Conor Murphy to be elected to the Seanad after topping the poll jointly with Independent Senator Sharon Keogan on the Industrial and Commercial panel.

Mr Murphy and Ms Keogan both received 112,000 votes, just shy of the 114,700 quota. Votes in the Seanad counting system are multiplied by 1,000 to avoid fractions, given the small electorate of just 1,172. TDs, Senators and local authority councillors all have a vote on each of five vocational panels representing various sectors in Irish life.

Ms Keogan was elected on the fourth count while the Sinn Féin candidate waited for hours for transfer-friendly candidates to be eliminated.

Mr Murphy, a former IRA member, takes the seat senator and former MP Elisha McCallion resigned from in controversy over a delay in refunding a UK government Covid-19 grant received in error.

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Mr Murphy said he contested the election because “we are in the middle of a constitutional debate on the future of Ireland. This is the place that needs to step up its game.” It was also “an opportunity to play a role in all-Ireland politics”.

[ Sinn Féin’s Stormont economy minister Conor Murphy set to win Seanad seat ]

Former Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews returned with an additional party seat for newcomer Maria McCormack.

It was a disappointing election for some candidates promoted by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Former minister of State Anne Rabbitte — who lost her Galway East Dáil seat — was unsuccessful in her election attempt on the Labour panel.

Her party colleague, former Longford-Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty, suffered the same fate as did Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman and former Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell.

Independent Matt Shanahan, who lost his Waterford Dáil seat, also struck out in the Seanad. Former Independent TD Cathal Berry will contest the Administrative panel, due to be counted on Monday.

Chief executive of the Restaurant Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins also failed to win a seat as did former Sinn Féin MEP, now Independent candidate, Liadh Ní Riada and environmentalist and broadcaster Éanna Ní Lamhna.

Reforms will see around one million people eligible to vote in future Seanad elections, but for now the electorate is less than 200,000. Video: Bryan O'Brien

Independent Senator Frances Black, champion of the Occupied Territories Bill, held her seat. There was a battle for the final seat on the Industrial and Commercial panel between Labour’s Laura Harmon who polled 87,000 first preference votes, in fourth place, just ahead of Social Democrats candidate Joan Hopkins.

Overall, Fine Gael gained one seat, which it put down to a good local election result and disciplined vote transfers. Tánaiste Simon Harris will have five of the Taoiseach’s 11 nominations as well.

Fianna Fáil’s vote leakage and high number of candidates contributed to it losing three seats. Early in the campaign, director of elections Robert Troy acknowledged that there was a fracturing of the vote, but said that party members independently seek nominations from sectoral nominating bodies. The party only had influence on inside nominations where a candidate requires the support of four Oireachtas members.

The Social Democrats’ Patricia Stephenson and Aontú‘s Sarah O’Reilly had historic victories with each winning a Seanad seat for their parties for the first time.

The Green Party’s former minister of State Malcolm Noonan topped the poll on the Agricultural panel.

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran is Parliamentary Correspondent of The Irish Times