Local elections 2024 Roscommon: Counting suspended overnight without explanation

11:30 p.m. Although the sorting and counting has been going on for more than four hours, it is still not clear when the first results will be announced. Returning Officer Marie Raftery had asked the Athlone LEA candidates to discuss the doubtful/invalid votes cast in the area.

The first counting results are expected to be available around 12:30 p.m.

19:30 o’clock The vote count has officially begun with the sorting of ballot papers for all three local constituencies in County Roscommon.

Returning Officer Marie Raftery announced the start of counting and the results of the first count should be available around 9.30 p.m.

5.00

In the final count at the Roscommon Count Centre, several candidates are ahead and some are already above the predicted quota.

In the final count of the six seats in the Roscommon LEA, two candidates have already received more votes than the predicted quota. The two Fianna Fail candidates Pachal Fitzmaurice and Marty McDermott are ahead in the voters’ favour.

Larry Brennan (FF) 1191 Nigel Dineen (II) 1318 Cathal Finnegan (IP) 78 Paschal Fitzmaurice (FF) 1845 Paul Hester (GP) 147 Robert McConn (FG) 745 Marty McDermott (FF) 1618 Christine McDonagh (SF) 654 Gareth Scahill (FG) 1173 Justin Slamen (IFP) 274 Anthony Waldron (IND) 1399

The planned quota is 1,500

In the final results for the six seats in the Athlone LEA, independent candidate Emer Kelly is leading the polls with 1948 votes, followed by another independent candidate, Tony Ward (1787 votes), Fine Gael candidate John Naughten (1737 votes) and independent candidate Laurence Fallon (1203 votes).

Sam Brooks (SF) 512

Domnick Connolly (FG) 481 Laurence Fallon (IND) 1208 Joe Harney (SF) 409 Emer Kelly (IND) 1948 John Keogh (FF) 933 James Murray (FF) 550 John Naughten (FG) 1737

Domnick Naughton (IND) 256 Tony Ward (IND) 1787

Since fewer than 200 votes were invalid, the total number of votes was 31,822.

3:15 p.m.

With the count complete for Boyle LEA, it seems clear that Sinn Féin’s Leah Cull and Fine Gael’s Sean Moylan will each retain one seat and be the new faces on the council. Outgoing councillors Valerie Byrne and Tom Crosby, who stood as independent candidates, would be re-elected along with another independent candidate, Micheal Frain. One more seat is yet to be claimed.

Valerie Byrne (IND) 1574

Leah Cull (SF) 1410

Michael Frain (IND) 1357

Sean Moylan (FG) 1274

Tom Crosby (IND) 1057

Dympna Daly Finn (FG) 889

Paul Forde (II) 691

Majid Ali (IND) 96

Fayiz Alsani (Aontu) 139

Angela Beirne (SF) 585

Liam Callaghan (FG) 738

Sajjad Hussain (IND) 410

Caoimhin Ó Miadh (IND) 44

Aidan Sampey (FF) 429

Edmund Shanahan (TIP) 123

Rory Williams Doyle (SF) 429

14:00 clock

The vote count, which began at 9am this morning in Dr Hyde Park, has reached the 80 per cent mark. The counting results so far suggest a favourable outcome for Fianna Fáil and independent candidates.

More than 75 of the 102 polling stations in each local constituency in County Roscommon have been opened and the votes counted, with the result suggesting that Fianna Fail candidate and outgoing Roscommon councillor Marty McDermott could lead the election with 1,375 votes, according to the count.

Closely followed by independent candidate and fellow outgoing councillor Valerie Byrne of Boyle LEA with 1234 votes and Sinn Féin candidate Leah Cull with 1207 votes.

The results of the counting up to 2:00 p.m. are as follows:

Athlone LEA

Number of votes for candidates (counting)

Tony Ward (IND) 1080

Emer Kelly (IND) 1076

John Naughton (FG) 737

Laurence Fallon 674

Boyle LEA

Valerie Byrne (IND) 1234

Leah Cull (SF) 1207

Michael Frain (IND) 1196

Sean Moylan (FG) 1008

Dympna Daly Finn (FG) 720

Paul Forde (II) 691

Roscommon LEA

Marty McDermott (FF) 1375

Anthony Waldron (IND) 1035

Larry Brennan (FF) 1012

Nigel Dineen (II) 986

Paschal Fitzmaurice (FF) 946

11:30 am

The counting process at Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon appears to be a little slow, with only 39 percent of all boxes opened in more than 2.5 hours.

Initial assumptions by vote counting officials indicate that voters in Roscommon have once again given their preference to independent candidates.

In Athlone LEA, outgoing independent councillor Emer Kelly appears to be taking the lead with 742 votes, followed by independent candidates Tony Ward (667 votes) and Laurence Fallon (545 votes).

Fianna Fáil candidates John Keogh and James Murray received 228 and 284 votes respectively, while Sinn Féin candidate Sam Brooks, who is also one of the youngest candidates in Irish local elections, successfully secured 212 votes in the first count.

From Boyle, Sinn Féin candidate Leah Cull leads the panel with 737 votes, closely followed by independent candidates Micheál Frain with 720 votes and Valerie Byrne with 522 votes.

In the Roscommon LEA, outgoing councillor and Fianna Fáil candidate Paschal Fitzmaurice leads the body with 823 votes, followed by independent candidate Anthony Waldron (662 votes), Independent Ireland candidate Nigel Dineen (660 votes) and Fine Gael candidate Gareth Scahill (582 votes).