Two women have filled the first two seats in Galway West.

Sinn Féin’s Mairéad Farrell was the first TD to be elected in the constituency, with Social Democrat transfers lifting her over the quota.

She was joined in second place by the Leas Ceann Comhairle of the outgoing Dáil, Independent Catherine Connolly, who also exceeded the quota on the eleventh count.

Farrell took 1,078 of City Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe’s (Soc Dem) transfers to retain the seat she won in the 2020 General Election.

Farrell, chair of the Public Accounts Committee of the outgoing Dáil, became the first woman to top the poll in Galway West, pulling in a massive 8,164 first preferences on the first count on Saturday.

She lost her City Council seat in 2019 but bounced back with two successive successful General Election campaigns.

From strong Republican stock, her aunt and namesake was an IRA member who was shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in the 1980s.

She is the third Sinn Féin TD from Galway’s three constituencies to be elected, joining Claire Kerrane in Roscommon/Galway and Louis O’Hara in Galway East, who were elected earlier today.

Claddagh’s Catherine Connolly was first elected in 2016, and was re-elected in 2020.

She took a whopping 1,601 of Seoighthe’s transfers to exceed the quota and returns to the Dáil for a third term.

Farrell and Connolly’s surpluses will now be redistributed, starting in the next count with Farrell’s 563 extra votes.

Former Government Chief Whip, and Junior Gaeltacht Minister, Seán Kyne (FG) has conceded defeat, and his transfers will determine the outcome of the final seats.

Barring a major shock, John Connolly (FF), Hildegarde Naughton (FG) and Noel Grealish (Ind) will be elected, with Noel Thomas (Ind Ire) the last man standing not to be elected.

 

Galway West

No of Seats: 5

Electorate: 103,713

Total poll: 60,652

Spoiled: 375

Valid poll: 60,277

Quota: 10,047

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

Non-transferable: 302

(*sitting TD)

 

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 (total 354)

(*sitting TD)

 

Galway West

No of Seats: 5

Electorate: 103,713

Total poll: 60,652

Spoiled: 375

Valid poll: 60,277

Quota: 10,047

 

 

 

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

(*sitting TD)

 

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 (total 143)

 

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: Mairéad Farrell (SF) and Catherine Connolly (Ind) congratulate each other on being re-elected on the 11th count.