At around 3.20pm, Independent Councillor Thomas Welby became the first of 949 councillors to be elected in the 2024 local elections.
It will be considerable time before we know who will fill the other council seats, with counting of votes in the European elections not due to start until tomorrow.
However, this year’s elections has already given us some more takeaways.
Here are five of them:
‘Boxer’ is back
Four years after losing his Dáil seat, former Independent TD and junior minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran has made a dramatic return.
Tallies suggest Mr Moran has got more than 3,300 votes that will surely secure a seat for him on Westmeath County Council.
With a such a resounding vote, he will now have another tilt at national politics in the forthcoming general election.
Another former TD, Paul Gogarty, looks to have won a huge vote in the Lucan Local Electoral Area (LEA) in the South Dublin County Council elections.
Tallies suggest he has won 23% of the vote and is on course to retain his council seat.
One candidate to win two seats?
According to tallies, Independent candidate Paddy Holohan is in the shake up to win two seats.
The outgoing councillor stood for election in Tallaght Central and Tallaght South.
Tallies indicate he may top the poll in Tallaght South and he has also polled around 7% of the vote in Tallaght Central.
If the former UFC fighter were to win seats in the two electoral areas, this would not be a first.
Five years ago, Sharon Keogan secured seats in both the Ashbourne and Laytown-Bettystown on Meath County Council.
Big day for father and ‘Baby’
Also in Tallaght, Fine Gael candidate Britto Pereppadan ran in the Tallaght South LEA while his son Baby Pereppadan contested in the Tallaght Central LEA.
Tallies suggest Baby has won a 15% share of the vote in the six seat Tallaght South LEA, while his son Britto is on a 12% share in the five seat Tallaght Central LEA.
Elsewhere, Máirín McGrath, the 26-year old daughter of TD Mattie McGrath appears to have topped the poll with almost 29% of the vote.
She said she is “lost for words” and “overwhelmed with the jump I have had since my 2019 election.”
It’s been a good day for political dynasties, with Michael Healy Rae’s son Jackie topping the poll in Kerry.
Independent Ireland
On a bumper day for independent candidates, today looks like a particularly good day for the Independent Ireland party.
Tallies suggest it is set to pick up seats all over the place.
In Kildare, William Carton looks set to be elected in Athy. In nearby, Offaly Fergus McDonnell also looks well placed to take a seat in Edenderry.
In Wicklow, tallies suggest Ian Neary will a seat in Bray.
In Galway, Seamus Walsh in Conamara was one of the first councillors elected in the country.
In Cavan, former Fianna Fáil TD Shane P O’Reilly also looks set to get re-elected.
In Limerick, Independent Ireland’s John O’Donoghue, who was co-opted to the council when his brother Richard O’Donoghue was elected to the Dáil, is on 10% according to tallies from Adare-Rathkeale.
It looks like a phenomenal day for the fledgling political party.
Missing property
There was a happy moment at the Wicklow Count Centre this morning when a lady from Bray was reunited with a special ring she had lost in the ballot box while voting yesterday.
The ring had particular sentimental value as it was worn in memory of the lady’s late daughter.
Rings are also reported to have dropped into ballot boxes in Wexford.
In Galway, there was fear that some votes could be eaten amidst talk of a mouse making its way in a ballot box.
Meanwhile, in Leitrim a tally sheet accounting for 4% of the Manorhamilton LEA vote went missing before lunch, preventing a 100% tally for the area.
It later emerged that a tallyman had gone for lunch with the sheet folded up in this pocket. When the missing sheet was recovered, a full tally was complete.
