LIVE UPDATES: Roscommon/Galway election count
2.05:
That's a wrap for tonight folks. Thanks for following the updates throughout the day and night. For lots more election coverage, reaction, photos and analysis, see this week's Westmeath Independent.
1.55:
The result of the fifth count. Apologies for the delay - it's hard to read the figures here without electricity! This count saw the distribution of Dolan's
6,162 votes.
Quota: 11,404
Kerrane 10,082 (+685)
Murphy 8.058 (+816)
Naughten 14,683 (+3,817)
Non-transferable: 849
Denis Naughten has been elected and the power cut didn't prevent his supporters from hoisting him aloft in celebration! He has a surplus of 3,279 which will be distributed at noon and will determine the destination of that final seat.
1.50:
Denis Naughten has been elected, with a surplus, in near-darkness on the fifth count! The sixth and final count has been adjourned to 12 noon because of the power outage. More to follow....
1.45:
The power outage is reportedly affecting Roscommon town in general and not just the count centre here at the Hyde.
1.40:
It's a bizarre situation here as count staff are continuing to try to work without electricity. Some TV lights are working and are being used to illuminate the room. We had been expecting to conclude the count in the next hour or two, but this power outage could result in an adjournment until the morning if it's not resolved soon.
1.30:
It's lights out in the Hyde as our electricity here has failed in the last few minutes...
1.20: Sixteen hours after the boxes opened, counting is continuing at the Hyde centre in Roscommon.
The finishing line is in sight, however, with just three candidates, Naughten, Kerrane, and Murphy, still in contention for the last two seats.
The next count, the fifth, could well decide it all, but we haven't yet been given an indication of when that count will conclude.
12.45:
Interviewed just now, Claire Kerrane acknowledged that her lead in the race for the third seat had narrowed. "It shows people out there the importance of their vote, and every vote really does count," she said.
She said "it's very difficult to know" where Aisling Dolan's transfers will go. "Obviously it's a Ballinasloe-based candidate. Whether that (vote) will go to Fianna Fáil as much as it will come to me, it's really difficult to say."
A reminder of the figures after four counts:
Quota: 11,404
Kerrane (SF): 9,402
Murphy (FF): 7,242
Naughten (Ind): 10,866
With the 6,162 votes of Fine Gael's Aisling Dolan being transferred now...
12.40:
That fourth count has injected a bit of midnight drama into proceedings here as it allows for the possibility that the consensus all day - that Claire Kerrane would take the third seat for Sinn Féin - is not set in stone.
Having said that, the smart money is still on Kerrane winning the seat as Eugene Murphy would need a massive return from Aisling Dolan's transfers in order to retain his Dáil seat.
12.10:
Ballinasloe's Aisling Dolan, of Fine Gael, has been excluded on the fourth count and her total of 6,162 votes will now be distributed. Returning officer Mary Raftery confirmed that the count staff will be continuing to work here as the next count will be the final count and will see the election of two more TDs.
The question is: Could there be a possibility that Eugene Murphy (who conceded defeat earlier) would pick up enough transfers to leapfrog ahead of Sinn Fein's Kerrane? It's probably unlikely - he's 2,160 votes behind at the moment - but it's not impossible.
There were audible gasps when the number of transfers Murphy received on the fourth count was announced.
12.10pm:
We now have the fourth count, from the distribution of votes from Julie O'Donoghue and Orla Leyden, and eyebrows have been raised as Eugene Murphy has received an additional 1,861 transfers. Is it possible that he might still be in with a shout?
Here's the fourth count:
Quota: 11,404
Aisling Dolan (FG): 6,162 (+452)
Claire Kerrane (SF): 9,402 (+707)
Eugene Murphy (FF): 7,242 (+1,861)
Denis Naughten (Ind): 10,866 (+1,447)
Non-transferable: 335
Midnight:
We're still awaiting the fourth count here at the Hyde. It's been a long day for the count staff, the candidates, their supporters, and the press, but the hope is that the remaining two seats will be filled in the early hours of this morning, meaning we won't have to return tomorrow for a second day of counting.
11.30pm:
Denis Naughten said the constituency changes were always going to eat into his share of the vote, and he feels he also lost votes to Aisling Dolan and Julie O'Donoghue as there would have been a perception that his was a 'safe' seat.
He believes that Fianna Fáil and his former party, Fine Gael, will have to consider teaming up to form the next Government.
"I think Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will seriously have to consider the possibility of going into coalition together. It's imperative for them that they do not allow this go back to another election again."
11.20pm:
Deputy Denis Naughten has conceded that Independents could well be be "surplus to requirements" in terms of the make-up of the next Government, which would consign him to the opposition benches.
Denis Naughten being interviewed 'backstage' at the Hyde ahead of his re-election later tonight
11pm:
Here's the quote from Luke 'Ming' Flanagan predicting a second general election in approximately three months:
"There's a lot of really good candidates out there and it looks like an awful lot of them are going to get elected.
"People might say, well, we'll never get a decent Government in this country. There are definitely 80 to 100 brilliant people out there who are capable of running this country and that would be enough for a majority.
"Whether it happens as a result of this election, if the left can organise and get together and form a Government... If not, if there's another election - which I predict there will be within about three months - at that election hopefully Sinn Fein will run 10 to 15 more candidates and between Sinn Fein, Social Democrats, People Before Profit, progressive Independents and rural Greens... I have a lot of hope for the future."
10.50pm:
A delighted Luke 'Ming' Flanagan is here. The MEP canvassed for Claire Kerrane and described the defeats for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the constituency as "brilliant news".
He is predicting a second general election in the coming months!
10.20pm:
The third count has seen the distribution of Thomas Fallon, Paul Hanley, Kenny Tynan and James Hope's votes.
Quota: 11,404
Dolan, Aisling (FG) - 5,710 (+75)
Kerrane, Claire (SF) - 8,690 (+368)
Leyden, Orla (FF) - 3,197 (+73)
Murphy, Eugene (FF) - 5,381 (+180)
Naughten, Denis (Ind) - 9,419 (+362)
O'Donoghue, Julie (GP) - 1,610 (+165)
Non-transferable: 201
After this count, Julie O'Donoghue of the Green Party and Orla Leyden of Fianna Fáil have been excluded. Their combined total of 4,807 votes will now be distributed, meaning Denis Naughten is well-placed to be elected on the next count.
10.10pm:
The third count is in. Details to follow..
10pm:
The third count is expected shortly. The general expectation is that this count will conclude tonight, but it could be 2 or 3am before all is said and done.
9.50pm:
Outgoing Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy said he still believes the party's two candidate strategy was the biggest factor behind the likely loss of his seat.
"I fought very hard to get this seat back for Fianna Fáil in 2016, and I warned about this strategy. We had lost a lot of North Roscommon and it was probably the one time to run the one candidate, or if you were going to run a second candidate that candidate (should) be in Galway."
He was also critical of former Minister Mary O'Rourke for her support of his party colleague Orla Leyden's candidacy - something he feels cost him votes in South Roscommon.
"She didn't seem to have any time for the sitting TD, but that's her perogative. It's water under the bridge now," he said.
9.15pm:
Eugene Murphy is looking very disappointed in the count hall. While it may not be mathematically impossible, he has conceded that there's no real chance of him catching Kerrane at this stage. In the next Dáil, Roscommon/Galway will be a constituency with no Fianna Fáil TD and no Fine Gael TD, a scenario that until recently was unthinkable in Irish politics.
9pm:
Sinn Féin's TD-elect Claire Kerrane admitted she was surprised by the extent of her vote increase since 2016.
"We thought we might double the vote (from last time) and again I was looking at building, building all the time in Roscommon. We really thought this was Fianna Fáil's seat to lose," she said.
"Personally, I honestly didn't expect this. I didn't even think about this moment, but it's a huge vote for us in Roscommon/Galway. We built from 2016 onwards. We worked really hard on this campaign and I think the momentum was with us," she said.
8.35pm:
The second count is in, after the distribution of Michael Fitzmaurice's surplus:
Quota: 11,404
Dolan, Aisling (FG) - 5,635 (+169)
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) - 109 (+21)
Hanley, Paul (NP) - 331 (+12)
Hope, James (Aontu) - 542 (+38)
Kerrane, Claire (SF) - 8,322 (+319)
Leyden, Orla (FF) - 3,124 (+171)
Murphy, Eugene (FF) - 5,201 (+256)
Naughten, Denis (Ind) - 9,057 (635)
O'Donoghue, Julie (GP) - 1,445 (+32)
Tynan, Kenny (PBP) - 442 (+20)
As the candidates with the lowest number of votes, Fallon, Hanley, Hope and Tynan have been excluded and their surplus will now be distributed.
8.20pm:
Independent councillor Tony Ward, from Curraghboy in South Roscommon, said people aged in their 60s and 70s were telling him during the campaign that they were planning to vote for Sinn Fein. "That would have been very unsual for me... they were telling me they were voting for change and they wanted change."
He said there was a feeling that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had grown detached from the problems facing farmers and others in rural Ireland.
7.55pm:
We're still waiting on the second count. It will see the distribution of Fitzmaurice's surplus.of 1,672, but those votes won't be enough to get anyone over the line on this next count.
7.45pm:
It's celebration time for Michael Fitzmaurice, the first TD elected here this evening:
7.30pm: Exactly two-thirds of voters voted in Roscommon/Galway. Turnout was 66%.
7.25pm: Claire Kerrane, who recently arrived here at the count centre, has seen her first preference vote more than double since the last general election.
In 2016, she got 3,075 first preferences. This time 8,003 voters put a '1' beside her name.
7.20pm: A few things jump out from that first count:
* It's a phenomenal return for Fitzmaurice, whose first preference vote has increased by 3,327 since 2016. Changes to the constituency boundary, which have added more of county Galway to Roscommon/Galway, have helped him here.
* In contrast, Denis Naughten, who is still likely to be re-elected, has seen his number of first preferences decrease by a whopping 5,514. He topped the poll last time out, with 13,936, but got 8,422 this time.
* Claire Kerrane of Sinn Féin has more first preferences than Fianna Fáilers Eugene Murphy and Orla Leyden combined.
6.50pm: The figures from the first count:
Electorate: 69,598
Total poll: 45,942
Spoiled: 330
Valid poll: 45,612
Quota: 11,404
Dolan, Aisling (FG) - 5,466
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) - 88
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) - 13,077
Hanley, Paul (NP) - 319
Hope, James (Aontu) - 504
Kerrane, Claire (SF) - 8,003
Leyden, Orla (FF) - 2,953
Murphy, Eugene (FF) - 4,945
Naughten, Denis (Ind) - 8,422
O'Donoghue, Julie (GP) - 1,413
Tynan, Kenny (PBP) - 422
Michael Fitzmaurice has exceeded the quota and been elected on the first count.
His surplus of 1,673 votes will now be distributed.
6.50pm: Video of the first count in Roscommon:
6.45pm: Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has been re-elected on the first count after topping the poll with over 13,000 votes. Full details to follow...
6.35pm: Poll-topper Michael Fitzmaurice.is expected to arrive shortly at the count centre. The estimated quota is 11,287, and with the final tally putting him on 12,904, he is set to be elected on the first count. Not long to go now until we have that count...
6pm: There's not much news to report here at the moment. Representatives of the candidates have been assessing doubtful votes, with the first count expected in 30-60 minutes' time:
5.25pm: The expected loss of Eugene Murphy's seat to Sinn Féin would be a major blow for Fianna Fáil, especially as its two candidates are likely to have a larger combined share of the first preference vote than Claire Kerrane.
It also looks like being another bad day for Fine Gael in this constituency. The party hasn't seen a TD elected in this area 2011, despite being in power throughout those years.
5.20pm: The adjudication of doubtful ballots is now underway:
Representatives of some of the candidates assessing doubtful votes with Returning Officer Mary Raftery
5.15pm: There's a bit of a late afternoon lull here at the count centre. Bags of chewy sweets were just delivered to some of the count staff in order to provide a sugar boost!
5pm: Former Fianna Fáil councillor Paddy Kilduff described the party's decision to field two Roscommon-based candidates as "idiotic".
Paddy said that if there was to be a second candidate for the party, in addition to Eugene Murphy, it should have been someone from the Galway end of the constituency.
"Fianna Fáil have lost the run of themselves," he stated.
4.30pm: Speaking to the Westmeath Independent earlier, Green Party candidate and local teacher Julie O'Donoghue said she was grateful to the 1,400 or so voters who have given her their first preference. "That's no small thing," she said.
She pointed out that the Green Party was new to the constituency, having just established its branch here before Christmas, and didn't rule out standing for election again at some stage.
Asked about the rise in support for Sinn Féin, which could propel Claire Kerrane into the third seat, she replied: "What I would say, from being on the doors, is that a big change isn't surprise to me.
"I didn't know what way the change would go, but people were absolutely looking for change so it's no surprise to me that there's been a bit of upheaval, and if Claire Kerrane does take the third seat I'll be delighted for her."
4.20pm: Denis Naughten has arrived at the count centre in the last few minutes. He topped the poll in 2016 and, based on the tallies, it looks like he will claim the second of the three seats this time around.
4.15pm: Returning officer Mary Raftery has announced that the adjudication of doubtful ballots (votes which may be spoiled or indicate an unclear preference) will take place at 5pm.
4.10pm: I'm back at the Hyde centre and will be here for the rest of the afternoon/night to bring you all of the counts and reaction from Roscommon/Galway. It's now predicted that the first count will be at approximately 6.30pm this evening. A stone's throw from the count centre, the Roscommon footballers had a seven-point win over Clare in the National League. So far I'm resisting the urge to include any senior hurling/football comparisons in these election updates!
2pm: It's been a busy morning and early afternoon here, so it's now time for a break and a bite to eat. I'll be back later this afternoon with more updates and reaction from the count in the Hyde.
1.55pm: Fine Gael's Cllr Aisling Dolan says she's "delighted" with her performance, as a first-time candidate. She polled particularly well in her home town of Ballinasloe. Based on the tallies she looks unlikely to take a seat but she is not conceding defeat just yet, as she waits to see what the transfers will bring later on.
1.10pm: The final tally is in. It shows that Michael Fitzmaurice and Denis Naughten are likely to be re-elected with Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane almost 2,500 votes clear of Fine Gael's Aisling Dolan in the battle for the third seat.
Sinn Féin claiming a seat would be a historic result - onlookers are saying it hasn't happened here since 1918! It would also be a disaster for Fianna Fáil, which split its vote base between two candidates. Having said that, nobody has been elected yet and the transfers could still throw up one or two surprises.
The final tally figures in full are here:
1.05pm: Activity in the tally room has picked up considerably here at the Hyde, with a final tally drawing near:
1pm: 102 of the 140 boxes have now been tallied and Fine Gael's Aisling Dolan has edged ahead of Eugene Murphy in fourth place in this three-seat constituency:
Total votes tallied: 44,584
Dolan, Aisling - 5,300
Fallon, Thomas D - 91
Fitzmaurice, Michael - 12,778
Hanley, Paul - 303
Hope, James - 453
Kerrane, Claire - 7,715
Leyden, Orla - 2,923
Murphy, Eugene - 4,889
Naughten, Denis - 8,164
O'Donoghue, Julie - 1,374
Tynan, Kenny - 399
Spoiled votes - 195
12.50pm: All boxes have now been opened at the Hyde, and a first count is expected at approximately 5pm. Based on the tallies, Michael Fitzmaurice looks set to top the poll.
12.40pm: With 90 boxes tallied, it's still looking good for Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane. The latest figures have her almost 2,500 votes ahead of sitting Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy. It would be one of the many interesting stories of this election if the two pillars of Irish politics for so long - Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael - both missed out on a seat here:
12.15pm: Another contest will be getting underway here at the Hyde in less than two hours' time, as the Roscommon footballers' Allianz National League clash with Clare looks set to go ahead, despite Sorm Ciara.
12.10pm: One of the interesting things to take from the first half of the tallies is the parties' vote share.
Can Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane, on 16.8%, edge out Fianna Fáil's two candidates, who between them have 19.1%? Fine Gael are on just 10%, but there's talk that Cllr Aisling Dolan's share of the vote will increase yet, as many of the boxes from her native Ballinasloe are still to be opened.
12.05pm: We're halfway there in terms of the tallies. Here are the figures with 70 boxes tallied:
11.55am: As a tally sheet dominated by Michael Fitzmaurice was passed around, one election-watcher remarked: "Another maroon and white box. A lot of that is new territory."
The Independent TD is clearly benefitting from the boundary changes which have added more of county Galway to this constituency.
11.30am: We now have 56 of the boxes tallied and, while there's a long way to go, it's looking like Fitzmaurice and Naughten are likely to be re-elected and it could be a battle between Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane and Fianna Fáil's Eugene Murphy for the third seat.
If Fianna Fáil loses out there will be serious questions asked about its decision to go with a two-candidate strategy here.
11am: A quarter of all boxes in Roscommon-Galway have now been tallied. Here's what the figures are looking like at this stage:
10.50am: Michael Fitzmaurice, who is set to be re-elected, is at the count centre and was interviewed by RTE a short time ago. "There's a long way to go but it's apparent that Sinn Féin are polling very well. Denis (Naughten) seems to be going sound and Eugene Murphy seems to be going ok. In the next few hours the tally people will tell us how we're performing, but it's looking good for me and I want to thank the people who came out and voted," he said.
Michael Fitzmaurice, who is on course to be re-elected as a TD, being interviewed by RTE
10.35am: These early figures will be very encouraging for Sinn Fein's Claire Kerrane as she hopes to edge out Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for that all-important third seat. Michael Fitzmaurice is out in front at this early stage, with his fellow Independent Denis Naughten also on course to retain his seat.
Much of the focus throughout the day will be on Fianna Fáil and its controversial decision to run two candidates when the party was never likely to win two seats. Could that backfire and result in both Eugene Murphy and Orla Leyden missing out? It does appear to be a possibility, though it should be reiterated that we are still at a very early stage with lots of twists and turns possible throughout the day.
10.25am: 26 boxes are now in:
Total votes tallied: 12,277
Dolan, Aisling (FG) - 1,093
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) - 32
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) - 3,284
Hanley, Paul (NP) - 95
Hope, James (Aontu) - 114
Kerrane, Claire (SF) - 2,005
Leyden, Orla (FF) - 956
Murphy, Eugene (FF) - 1,511
Naughten, Denis (Ind) - 2,672
O'Donoghue, Julie (GP) - 365
Tynan, Kenny (PBP) - 101
Spoiled votes - 49
10.15am:
Sixteen of the 140 boxes are now tallied. Our understanding is that many of these are from parts of county Galway and South Roscommon.
Total votes tallied: 8,733
Dolan, Aisling (FG) - 602
Fallon, Thomas D (Ind) - 16
Fitzmaurice, Michael (Ind) - 2,517
Hanley, Paul (NP) - 74
Hope, James (Aontu) - 69
Kerrane, Claire (SF) - 1,3718
Leyden, Orla (FF) - 759
Murphy, Eugene (FF) - 1,062
Naughten, Denis (Ind) - 1,902
O'Donoghue, Julie (GP) - 256
Tynan, Kenny (PBP) - 67
Spoiled votes - 31
9.55am:
Here are some very early figures, with 8 of the 140 boxes tallied:
Total votes tallied: 4,916
Dolan, Aisling - 353
Fallon, Thomas D - 5
Fitzmaurice, Michael - 1589
Hanley, Paul -53
Hope, James - 39
Kerrane, Claire - 893
Leyden, Orla - 282
Murphy, Eugene - 787
Naughten, Denis - 732
O'Donoghue, Julie - 121
Tynan, Kenny - 43
Spoiled votes - 19
9.30am: The opening of the ballot boxes in the Hyde a short time ago:
9.15am: Good morning! Adrian Cusack here. I’m in the Hyde centre in Roscommon and will be providing live updates, throughout the day and night, on the general election count in the Galway-Roscommon constituency.
In the last few minutes the boxes were opened and the first sorting of votes is now underway.
Three Dáil seats are on offer here and the three sitting TDs - Denis Naughten (Ind), Michael Fitzmaurice (Ind), and Eugene Murphy (FF) - are all seeking re-election. It's expected that Murphy, in particular, could be under pressure from his party colleague Orla Leyden, while last night’s exit poll indicates that Sinn Féin’s Claire Kerrane (SF) could well be in with a good chance of taking that third seat. Ballinasloe’s Aisling Dolan (FG) is another contender.
I'll be aiming to bring you the latest details of all the tallies and counts, as well as a flavour of the election excitement, analysis and reaction here in Roscommon, so please keep checking in with this page throughout the day for all the latest news.