Sitting councillor Shelly Herterich-Quinn has been eliminated from the Athenry-Oranmore electoral area on the eighth count.

The Fianna Fáil councillors based in Athenry will now see her 1,118 votes distributed among the remaining candidates still vying for the still unfilled three seats.

Cllr Albert Dolan, Tomás Grealish, David Collins and James Charity have the first four seats. Cllr Charity was elected on the sixth count.

Former councillor Peter Feeney is 217 votes from the magic number to get over the line.

All eyes at the Lawn Tennis Club count centre will be on who benefits from the Fianna Fáil vote, with her colleague Cillian Keane still well in contention but still 550 votes short.

Louis O’Hara is in second place, looking to pick up 376 transfers to make the quota, with Eoghan Gallagher (FG) needed 401 transfers.

Caption: Newly-elected Cllr Tomas Grealish getting a big hug from his older brother Noel Grealish TD. Pic Gerry Stronge

Athenry-Oranmore

Seven seats

Quota: 1,718

Count 6

Distribution of Hehir, Sean’s 437 votes

Charity, James (Ind) (+140) 1,837

Feeney, Peter (FG) (+41) 1,403

O’Hara, Louis (SF) (+38) 1,188

Gallagher, Eoghan (FG) (+9) 1,187

Keane, Cillian (FF) (+15) 1,116

Herterich-Quinn, Shelly (FF) (+29) 1,029

Madden, Eoin (Green Party) (+11) 608

Charity, James elected.

Count 7

Distribution of Madden, Eoin’s 608 votes

Feeney, Peter (FG) (+90) 1,493

O’Hara, Louis (SF) (+139) 1,327

Gallagher, Eoghan (FG) (+126) 1,313

Keane, Cillian (FF) (+47) 1,163

Herterich-Quinn, Shelly (FF) (+85) 1,114

Count 8

Distribution of Charity James’s 119 surplus

Feeney, Peter (FG) (+8) 1,501

O’Hara, Louis (SF) (+15) 1,342

Gallagher, Eoghan (FG) (+4) 1,317

Keane, Cillian (FF) (+5) 1,168

Herterich-Quinn, Shelly (FF) (+4) 1,118

Dolan, Grealish, Collins already elected