Galway West’s newest TD is John Connolly, who has retained the seat for Fianna Fáil held by veteran Éamon Ó Cuív since 1992.

And Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton has taken the fourth seat, thanks to transfers from party colleague Senator Seán Kyne.

Connolly took 1,242 of Kyne’s transfers to take the third seat, while Naughton took a whopping 3,298 to take the fourth seat on the fourteenth count.

There remains an outside chance of a shock at the Salthill count centre this Monday morning – Noel Thomas of Independent Ireland unseating Independent Noel Grealish.

The distribution of fellow Moycullen man Kyne’s votes puts Thomas, a Galway County Councillor, back in the hunt for the fifth and final seat.

Connolly’s surplus of 941 will now be redistributed; followed by Naughton’s surplus.

Replacing retiring Ó Cuív, Connolly, a school principal in Athenry and Galway City Councillor, becomes the first Bearna man to be elected to Dáil Éireann.

Galway West

No of seats: 5

Electorate: 103,713

Total poll: 60,652

Spoiled: 375

Valid poll: 60,277

Quota: 10,047

 

Fourteenth count

Distribution of Kyne’s transfers:

Connolly, John (FF) +1,242 10,988 ELECTED

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +3,298 10,942 ELECTED

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +495 8,717

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +892 8,134

Non-transferable: 444

(*sitting TD)

ELECTED SO FAR: Mairéad Farrell (SF), Catherine Connolly (Ind), John Connolly (FF) and Hildegarde Naughton (FG).

 

Thirteenth count

Distribution of Connolly’s surplus of 531:

Connolly, John (FF) +154 9,746

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +74 8,222

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +170 7,644

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +43 7,242

Kyne, Seán (FG) +90 6,371 ELIMINATED

 

Twelfth count

Distribution of Farrell’s surplus of 563:

Connolly, John (FF) +108 9,592

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +69 8,148

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +79 7,474

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +61 7,199

Kyne, Seán (FG) +46 6,281

Non-transferable: 200

 

Eleventh count

Distribution of Seoighthe’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +1,078 10,610 ELECTED

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +1,601 10,578 ELECTED

Connolly, John (FF) +193 9,484

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +110 8,079

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +313 7,395

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +121 7,138

Kyne, Seán (FG) +193 6,235

 

Tenth count

Distribution of Seoige’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +197 9,532

Connolly, John (FF) +1,437 9,291

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +227 8,977

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +192 7,969

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +341 7,082

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +281 7,017

Kyne, Seán (FG) +315 6,042

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +70 3,911 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 102

 

Ninth count

Distribution of Ogbu’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +242 9,335

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +600 8,750

Connolly, John (FF) +160 7,854

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +75 7,777

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +268 6,741

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +63 6,736

Kyne, Seán (FG) +127 5,727

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +886 3,841

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +80 3,162 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 121

 

Eighth count

Distribution of Cubbard’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +439 9,093

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +596 8,150

Connolly, John (FF) +237 7,694

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +437 7,702

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +210 6,673

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +120 6,473

Kyne, Seán (FG) +78 5,600

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +66 3,082

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +70 2,955

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +108 2,622 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 90

 

Seventh count

Distribution of O’Reilly’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +72 8,654

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +384 7,554

Connolly, John (FF) +103 7,457

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +37 7,265

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +26 6,463

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +288 6,353

Kyne, Séan (FG) +120 5,522

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +54 3,016

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +367 2,885

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +408 2,514

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +32 2,451 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 27

 

Sixth count

Distribution of Lenihan’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +137 8,582

Connolly, John (FF) +124 7,354

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +272 7,228

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +136 7,170

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +388 6,437

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +34 6,065

Kyne, Séan (FG) +51 5,402

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +21 2,962

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +25 2,518

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +109 2,419

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +27 2,106

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) +26 1,918 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 69

 

Fifth count

Distribution of McMaster’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +213 8,445

Connolly, John (FF) +4 7,230

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +174 7,034

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +5 6,956

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +16 6,049

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +6 6,031

Kyne, Séan (FG) +2 5,351

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +4 2,941

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +316 2,493

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +19 2,310

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +97 2,079

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) +49 1,892

Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) +12 1,419 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 9

 

Fourth count

Distribution of Cahill’s transfers:

*Farrell, Mairéad (SF) +37 8,232

Connolly, John (FF) +23 7226

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +46 6,951

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +90 6860

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +218 6,033

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +10 6,025

Kyne, Séan (FG) +11 5,349

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +3 2,937

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +41 2291

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +2 2,177

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +5 1,982

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) +3 1,843

Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) +104 1,407

McMaster, Maisie (Sol-PBP) +10, 926 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable 28

 

Third count

Distribution of McMahon’s transfers:

*Farell, Mairéad (SF) +26 8,195

Connolly, John (FF) +8 7,203

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +17 6,905

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +18 6,770

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +1 6,015

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +112 5,815

Kyne, Séan (FG) +3 5,338

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +2 2,934

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +27 2,250

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +1 2,175

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +1 1,977

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) +1 1,840

Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) +65 1,303

McMaster, Maisie (Sol-PBP) +9 916

Cahill, AJ (The Irish People) +156 631 ELIMINATED

Non-transferable: 8

 

Second count

Distribution of Feeney’s transfers:

*Farell, Mairéad (SF) +5 8169

Connolly, John (FF) +3 7,195

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) +1 6,888

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) +5 6,752

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) +3 6,014

Thomas, Noel (Ind) +3 5,703

Kyne, Séan (FG) +0 5,335

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) +3 2,932

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) +4 2,223

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) +2 2,174

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) +3 1,976

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) +0 1,831

Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) +5 1,238

McMaster, Maisie (Sol-PBP) +2 907

Cahill, AJ (The Irish People) +6 475

McMahon, Doran (Irish Freedom) +5 455 ELIMINATED

 

First count

*Farell, Mairéad (SF) 8,164

Connolly, John (FF) 7,192

*Grealish, Noel (Ind) 6,887

*Connolly, Catherine (Ind) 6,747

*Naughton, Hildegarde (FG) 6,011

Thomas, Noel (Ind) 5,700

Kyne, Séan (FG) 5,335

Seoige, Gráinne (FF) 2,929

Seoighthe, Eibhlín (Soc Dem) 2,172

Cubbard, Mike (Ind) 2,219

Ogbu, Helen (Labour) 1,973

O’Reilly, Pauline (Green) 1,839

Lenihan, Pádraig (Aontú) 1,233

McMaster, Maisie (Sol-PBP) 905

McMahon, Doran (Irish Freedom) 450

Cahill, AJ (The Irish People) 469

Feeney, Patrick (Ind) 52 ELIMINATED

 

Pictured: A jubilant John Connolly (FF) celebrates his election.