Cork North Central: Recount requested with just 35 votes separating two candidates

00.50am:

Labour's Eoghan Kenny looked to have taken the final seat in Cork North Central, however, with just 35 votes separating him and incumbent Mick Barry of People Before Profit - Solidarity, Mr Barry has requested a recount.

It's understood that this will begin at 10am on Monday.

10.20pm: Fine Gael’s Colm Burke and Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn have secured the third and fourth seats in Cork North Central.

Mr Burke was elected having sured the quota of 9,846 with 11,223 votes while Mr O’Flynn also sured the quota with 10,031 votes.

People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry is currently on 6,997 while Labour's Eoghan Kenny is on 6,683.

Mr Burke and Mr O'Flynn's surplus votes are now being distributed. 

8.45pm: No candidate has been elected on the thirteenth count.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald has been eliminated and his 5,705 votes will now be distributed.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke is now at 9,064 votes while Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn is on 9,000 votes; People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry is on 6,443 and Labour’s Eoghan Kenny is on 6,248.

7.10pm: Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan has secured the second seat in Cork North Central.

He was elected on the 12th count having sured the quota of 9,846 with 10,193 votes.

All politics being local, Mr O'Sullivan started his victory speech with a shout-out to Sars, his local team having beaten three-in-a-row Munster champions Ballygunner.

“Glanmire has had a good day, thankfully,” he said.

Mr O’Sullivan was first elected to the Dáil in the 2019 Cork North Central by-election to replace outgoing TD Billy Kelleher, who had been elected to the European Parliament, and he was re-elected in the 2020 general election.

He had received the most first preferences in this election, 7,708, but he was eventually overtaken by outgoing Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, who topped the poll on the 10th count.

The second TD returned in the now five-seat constituency, Mr O’Sullivan was surrounded at the Nemo Rangers count centre by family and friends, and Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stood beaming by his side.

With Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn and Fine Gael’s Colm Burke looking likely to take the third and fourth seats in the constituency, all eyes are on the fifth seat, where Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald is in the hunt for the final seat, currently just ahead of People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry and Labour’s Eoghan Kenny.

“It’s great to be elected,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“We’re still in with a fight for the second, so we’ll fight right to the wire and hopefully Tony Fitzgerald can win here as well.” 

Congratulating Mr O’Sullivan as “a very active and prolific TD”, Mr Martin said he had earned the vote of confidence he had received in Cork North Central, and said the final seat would be “a fascinating end”.

Nationally, Mr Martin said, it was “all to play for” for his party.

“It’s coming close to resolution, but it will be a couple of hours yet before we know what the full picture will be,” he said.

Mr O’Sullivan followed Sinn Féin poll topper Thomas Gould, who was elected on the 10th count, gaining 588 in the distribution of Garret Kelleher’s vote.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn gained 113 votes, bringing him to 8,697.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 1,710 votes, bringing him to 8,681 votes.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 419 votes, bringing him to 5,431.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 147 votes, bringing him to 5,105.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 167 votes, putting him on 4,952.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 253 votes, putting her on 4,487, after which she was eliminated.

Ms Doyle’s 4,487 votes will now be distributed in the 13th count.

6pm: No candidate was elected on the 11th count in the five-seat Cork North Central constituency.

Following the distribution of poll topper Thomas Gould’s surplus, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD is closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 17, bringing him to 9,605 votes.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn gained 97 votes, bringing him to 8,584.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 14 votes, bringing him to 6,971 votes.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 12 votes, bringing him to 5,012.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 234 votes, bringing him to 4,958.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 58 votes, putting him on 4,785.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 136 votes, putting her on 4,234.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 21 votes, putting him on 3,930, but it was not enough to save the Ballincollig councillor from being eliminated.

Mr Kelleher’s 3,930 votes will now be distributed in the 12th count.

5.50pm: Current People Before Profit–Solidarity TD Mick Barry who is looking to retain his seat in Cork North Central predicated a nail biting finish for the constituency.

“Looks like this one is going to go right down to the wire,” he told The Echo.

Mr Barry shirked the suggestion that this could be the fight of his political life saying:

“I’m not sure if it is the fight of my political life, I’ve been involved in other political scraps as big or bigger than this beforehand, but I think it’s important that we have socialist deputies in the next Dáil.

“I’m looking at the national picture, I’m seeing that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are going to fall short of the magic number.

“I believe that they’re winking the eye at Labour and the Social Democrats and I would appeal to Labour and the Social Democrats not to parlez-vous with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, not to make the same mistake that the Green Party made but to turn in the opposite direction, talk to Sinn Féin, talk to People Before Profit–Solidarity and let’s have a strong left opposition in the next Dáil, pointed to the need for fundamental change in our society.”

4.05pm: Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould has secured the first seat in Cork North Central.

Mr Gould was elected having sured the quota of 9,846 with 10,435 votes.

He was elected on the tenth count.

“I tell you now, I’m overjoyed, I feel like I have a frog in my throat,” Mr Gould apologised, as he spoke to a scrum of reporters and ers in the Nemo Rangers count centre. 

“I’m delighted, I’m very proud [that] the people of Cork North Central voted me in for the second time.

“It’s actually very humbling that thousands of people, over 10,000 people elected me, so I want to say to everyone in Cork North Central that I will represent them, and I think this is a good day,” he said.

“We’ve got the first seat in Cork [North Central] for the third election in a row, and it shows that Sinn Féin is strong in Cork North Central and I just want to thank everyone.

“It was a really hard campaign for three weeks of dark nights, cold, wet. We’ve got great Sinn Féin and ers and I have an unbelievable family and I wouldn’t be here without the from my family and friends and the community,” Mr Gould said.

He said that in the wake of the June local elections, people had written Sinn Féin off, but “one bad election doesn’t deter us”.

Sinn Féin was a political party which had suffered many hard days in its history, he added, but “Sinn Féin will always come again”.

“We want to be an alternative government to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, we’ve had 100 years, and we’re sick of them,” he said.

Meanwhile Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan now stands at 9,588; Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn is at 8,487; Fine Gael’s Colm Burke is at 6,957; Tony Fitzgerald (FF) is at 5,000; Labour’s Eoghan Kenny is at 4,727; People Before Profit–Solidarity’s Mick Barry is at 4,724; Susan Doyle (SD) is at 4,098 and Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher is at 3,909.

3.10pm: No candidate was elected on the ninth count in the five-seat Cork North Central constituency.

Following the distribution of John Maher’s 3,325 votes, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 378, bringing him to 9,528 votes.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn gained 484 votes, bringing him to 8,317.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 247 votes, bringing him to 8,251.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 233 votes, bringing him to 6,913 votes.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 125 votes, bringing him to 4,938.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 950 votes, putting him on 4,624.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 278 votes, bringing him to 4,462.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 349 votes, putting her on 3,934.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 65 votes, putting him on 3,750.

Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 65 votes, putting him on 3,393, after which he was eliminated from the count.

Non-transferable or not effective votes: 151.

Joe Lynch’s 3,393 votes will now be distributed in the 10th count.

1.25pm: No candidate was elected on the eighth count in the five-seat Cork North Central constituency.

Following the distribution of Derek Blighe’s 2,915 votes, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 61, bringing him to 9,150 votes.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 360 votes, bringing him to 8,004.

Independent Ireland candidate, Ken O’Flynn gained 1,280 votes, bringing him to 7,833.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 63 votes, bringing him to 6,680 votes.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 95 votes, bringing him to 4,813.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 232 votes, bringing him to 4,184.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 31 votes, putting him on 3,685.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 84 votes, putting him on 3,674.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 63 votes, putting her on 3,585.

Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 109 votes, putting him on 3,328.

Labour’s John Maher received an extra 101 votes, putting him on 3,325, after which he was eliminated from the count.

Non-tranferrable or not effective votes: 436.

John Maher’s 3,325 votes will now be distributed in the ninth count.

12.10pm: No candidate was elected on the seventh count in the five-seat Cork North Central constituency.

Following the distribution of the 2,335 votes of Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher, who was eliminated on the fifth count this morning, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 920, bringing him to 9,089 votes.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 22 votes, bringing him to 7,644.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 115 votes, bringing him to 6,617 first votes.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 127 votes, bringing him to 6,553.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 434 votes, bringing him to 4,718.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 20 votes, bringing him to 3,952.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 365 votes, putting him on 3,654.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 41 votes, putting him on 3,590.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 75 votes, putting her on 3,522 while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 28 votes, putting him on 3,224.

Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 84, putting him on 3,219.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra 22 votes, putting him on 2,915, after which he was eliminated from the count.

Non-tranferrable or not effective votes: 82.

Derek Blighe’s 2,915 votes will now be distributed in the eighth count.

11.10am:

No candidates have been elected on the sixth count in the five-seat Cork North Central constituency.

Following the distribution of the 1,969 votes of Aontú’s Finian Toomey, who was eliminated on the fifth count this morning, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 170, bringing him to 8,169 votes.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 96 votes, bringing him to 7,622.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD gained 82 votes, bringing him to 6,502. 

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 556 votes, bringing him to 6,426.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 84 votes bringing him to 4,284.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 106 votes, bringing him to 3,939.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 52 votes, putting him on 3,549, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 76 votes, putting her on 3,447.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 48 votes, putting him on 3,289, while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 71 votes, putting him on 3,196, and Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 90, putting him on 3,135.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra 337 votes, putting him on 2,893.

Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received an extra 36 votes, putting her on 2,335, after which she was eliminated from the count.

Non-tranferrable or not effective votes: 165.

Sandra Murphy Kelleher’s 2,335 will now be distributed in the seventh count.

10.15am: No candidates have been elected on the fifth count in Cork North Central.

Following the distribution of the 1,403 votes of Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly, who was eliminated on the fourth count last night, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 143, bringing him to 7,999 votes. 

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 13 votes, bringing him to 7,526.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD, who gained 561 votes bringing him to 6,420 first votes, has pulled ahead of Independent Ireland candidate, Ken O’Flynn who received 27 votes, bringing him to 5,870.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 55 votes, bringing him to 4,200.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 12 votes, bringing him to 3,826.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 31 votes, putting him on 3,497, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 63 votes, putting her on 3,371.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 288 votes, putting him on 3,241, while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 77 votes, putting him on 3,125, and Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra five, putting him on 3,045.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra seven votes, putting him on 2,556, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received an extra 91 votes, putting her on 2,299.

Finian Toomey of Aontú received a further eight votes, putting him on 1,969, after which he was eliminated.

Non-tranferrable or not effective votes: 22.

Finian Toomey’s 1,969 votes will now be distributed in the sixth count.

9.33am: As the fifth count commences for Cork North Central in Nemo Rangers on Sunday morning, the 1,403 votes of Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly, who was eliminated last night on the fourth count, are being distributed.

As count staff – and reporters - face into their second long day, outgoing Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O’Sullivan remains closest to the quota of 9,846, currently on 7,856 first votes.

Speaking to The Echo yesterday afternoon, when he only had the tallies to go on, Mr O’Sullivan said that even though he was tallying in first place, he did not expect to top the poll.

It would have been reasonable then to infer from that statement that he expected that, once the transfers began to come in, he would be overtaken by Sinn Féin’s incumbent TD Thomas Gould.

As of last night’s fourth count, at least, that had not happened, with Mr Gould remaining in second place at 7,513 votes.

Perhaps that will start to change as Sunday morning progresses into lunchtime and beyond.

At the fourth count, Independent Ireland candidate and Cork city councillor Ken O’Flynn was in third place on 5,843.

Outgoing Fine Gael TD and minister of state Colm Burke, was on 5,859 votes.

Fianna Fáil city councillor and former lord mayor of Cork Tony Fitzgerald was on 4,145, and People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry, in the political fight of his life, was on 3,814.

On the face of it, while the first four seats are not by any means decided, a clear enough picture could be discerned at least, with Pádraig O’Sullivan or Thomas Gould likely in competition to top the poll, and Ken O’Flynn and Colm Burke probably following behind them.

However, the battle for the last seat seems impossible to call at this juncture, with Tony Fitzgerald and Mick Barry both in contention, but an unpredictable pattern of transfers in a newly five-seat constituency means it’s probably anyone’s guess what happens next.

As of the fourth count last night, Labour’s Eoghan Kenny was on 3,466 votes, Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch was 3,040, and the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle was on 2,976.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher was on 2,953, while Labour’s John Maher was on 3,048.

Anti-immigrant candidate Derek Blighe of Ireland First was on 2,549, while Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher was on 2,208 and Finian Toomey of Aontú was on 1,961 votes.

The positioning of Joe Lynch, Garret Kelleher and Sandra Murphy Kelleher would suggest that – despite much speculation – Ballincollig did not have, as it turned out, the makings of an area-specific, party-blind seat.

The Labour vote suggests that the old Seán Sherlock vote in Mallow was as strong as the party suspected it would be even as the North Cork town was assimilated into the sprawling, Frankensteinian constituency that is the newly five-seat Cork North Central, but clearly the party did not figure out how best to manage votes between its two candidates in Mallow and on Cork’s northside.

The fifth count is expected after 10am this morning, and who knows what it will bring.

One thing it is safe to say, though, as the coffee machine cranks up in the media room and the Nemo Rangers caterers prepare sandwiches and scones for the count staff, is that Sunday looks like it’s going to be a long day.

And Monday might be too.

11pm:

No candidates have been elected on the fourth count in Cork North Central.

Following the distribution of the votes of the Green Party’s Oliver Moran, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 115, bringing him to 7,856 first preferences.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 25 votes, bringing him to 7,513.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 23 votes, bringing him to 5,843.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD, gained 101 votes, bringing him to 5,859 first preferences.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 29 votes, bringing him to 4,145.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 108 votes, bringing him to 3,814.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 78 votes, putting him on 3,466, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 30, putting him on 3,040, and the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 661 votes, putting her on 2,976.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 55 votes, putting him on 2,953, while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 259 votes, putting him on 3,048.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra four votes, putting him on 2,549, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received an extra 42 votes, putting her on 2,208.

Finian Toomey of Aontú received a further 26 votes, putting him on 1,961, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly received an extra 72 votes, putting her on 1,403, after which she was eliminated.

Imelda Daly’s 1,403 votes will now be distributed in the fifth count on Sunday morning.

10.15pm:

No candidate has been elected on the third count in Cork North Central.

Following the distribution of the Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy’s 1,245 votes, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 14, bringing him to 7,741 votes.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 24 votes, bringing him to 7,488. 

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 28 votes, bringing him to 5,820.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD, gained 11 votes, bringing him to 5,758.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 22 votes, bringing him to 4,116.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 76 votes, bringing him to 3,706.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 32 votes, putting him on 3,388, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 79, putting him on 3,010, and the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 661 votes, putting her on 2,976.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra 100 votes, putting him on 2,898, while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 58 votes, putting him on 2,789.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra six votes, putting him on 2,545, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received an extra 24 votes, putting her on 2,166.

Finian Toomey of Aontú received a further 19 votes, putting him on 1,935, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly received an extra seven votes, putting her on 1,331, and the Green Party’s Oliver Moran received 46 further votes, putting him on 1,326, after which he was eliminated.

Oliver Moran’s 1,326 votes will now be distributed in the fourth count.

9pm: No candidates have been elected on the second count in Cork North Central.

Following the distribution of the votes of the four lowest candidates on the first count, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD remains closest to the quota of 9,846, gaining 19, bringing him to 7,727. 

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD gained 65 votes, bringing him to 7,464.

Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 59 votes, bringing him to 5,792, ing out Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD, who gained 11 votes, bringing him to 5,747.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald gained 10 votes, bringing him to 4,094.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry gained 136 votes, bringing him to 3,630.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received an extra 27 votes, putting him on 3,356, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received an extra 37, putting him on 2,931.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received an extra eight votes, putting him on 2,798, while Labour’s John Maher received an extra 44 votes, putting him on 2,731.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received an extra 64 votes, putting him on 2,539, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received an extra 60 votes, putting her on 2,315, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received an extra 24 votes, putting her on 2,124.

Finian Toomey of Aontú received a further 52 votes, putting him on 1,916, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly received an extra 13 votes, putting her on 1,324, and the Green Party’s Oliver Moran received 16 further votes, putting him on 1,280.

The Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy received 17 votes, bringing him to 1,245, after which he was eliminated.

8.15pm: A TD in Cork North Central has said he does not want to tempt fate by saying he will be re-elected.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD told The Echo that while he was happy that his party’s vote in the constituency was up on the previous election, he didn’t want to jinx himself by saying he would be elected.

“I’m very happy that the Fine Gael vote is up in Cork North Central, compared to 2020, and that’s as a direct result of a team effort,” he said.

Mr Burke praised the contributions of Fine Gael councillors who had campaigned on his behalf.

“They worked very hard to get out the vote, canvassed door-to-door all the way out to Mallow, into Cork city as well, so I’m really happy with the result,” he said.

“Our vote is up, and that’s the important thing, we’re over a quota on the tally, we won’t get elected on the first count, but if you add the votes of the three candidates, we’re over a quota.” 

Nationally, Mr Burke said the result was likely to be too close to call.

“There are a lot of variables, and the difficulty as well that Fine Gael had only 17 outgoing TDs, and being an outgoing TD, there’s that advantage in that work you have done, people will come back and acknowledge that, but when you’re running a whole lot of new candidates, there is a greater challenges for the candidates to get that vote,” he said.

Mr Burke, a junior minister in the outgoing government, itted he had had some concerns that he might not be re-elected, and had been working to help some constituents with acute needs in the days immediately prior to the election.

“There were a number of people coming to me with difficult problems, one person in particular has a serious heart condition, and because of his wife’s income he didn’t qualify for a medical card.

“He will never work again, and I wanted to make sure he got the medical card sorted, and he did,” he said.

Mr Burke added that in an average week he would receive 50 to 60 requests for help from constituents, and in most weeks “two or three would be really complex”.

7.45pm: The first count of Cork North Central has been announced, and with no one exceeding the quota of 9,846, no candidates have been elected in the five-seat constituency.

Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD was closest to the quota with 7,708 votes.

Just behind him was Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD 7,399 votes.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD received 5,736 votes, while Independent Ireland candidate Ken O’Flynn received 5,733, only three votes behind Colm Burke, and Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald got 4,084.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry is in sixth place with 3,494, and facing a fight to save his seat.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny received 3,329, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch received 2,894.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher received 2,790, while Labour’s John Maher received 2,687.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe received 2,475, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle received 2,255 and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher received 2,100.

Finian Toomey of Aontú received 1,864, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly received 1,311, and the Green Party’s Oliver Moran received 1,264.

The Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy received 1,228 votes.

The four lowest-polling candidates have been eliminated.

Independent candidate Rachel Hurley Roche was eliminated with 367 votes, while Independent candidates Martin Condon received 152 votes, Joseph Peters 107 votes, and John Donohoe 94 votes.

3.35pm: A TD in Cork North Central has said it is a surreal and very humbling experience to be trusted with the votes of thousands of people.

Thomas Gould, northside TD for Sinn Féin, told The Echo that he would never get used to seeing people give him their .

“I’m really humbled and proud that it looks like the people of Cork North Central are going to vote me back in, it’s a bit surreal to be honest, that thousands of people voted for me,” Mr Gould said.

“Like, I know a lot of people, through the GAA, through my family, through the party, but you’re looking at boxes and going ‘I don’t know 100 people in that box!’ 

“It’s actually lovely, it’s lovely for the party, and especially for my family and friends, to recognise that people thought of me that way.” 

He said that he believed that what he called Sinn Féin’s message about solutions and change had got through to voters.

“We think that young people and middle-aged people bought into that, and from the exit poll last night, it looks like a majority of younger people ed us, ed Mary Lou as taoiseach, and the main thing for that was housing,” Mr Gould said.

“There’s a lot of issues out there, but for younger people, and for families, housing is the issue, and Éoin Ó Broin’s housing policy shows how strong it is.” 

Mr Gould said he believed that transfers would prove vital in the counts ahead.

“I think transfers will have a bigger bearing in this election than in any other election in the history of the State, because there are many different candidates and the vote is so spread out that it will be too close to call a lot of the fourth and fifth seats.

“You can see now Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are transferring strong to each other, and more people are transferring to Sinn Féin than have ever transferred before, whether that will be enough, we’ll wait and see, but certainly the last seat in Cork North Central is in play for three or four or five people,” he said.

He added that Sinn Féin had run what he called a very positive campaign in the constituency, getting to as many doors as possible, and maximising the vote between his running mate Joe Lynch and himself.

“We did something that other parties didn’t do, we split the constituency and we worked as a team, and that was the difference between us and the other two main parties.

“Joe [Lynch] has a great team around him, and I have a great team around me, and we were ing each other all the way,” Mr Gould said.

“For me, right now, I’m just so grateful to the people of Cork North Central.”

2.45pm: The story of the election so far in Cork North Central is that the tallies show Sinn Féin’s vote is down significantly, the TD topping that tally has claimed.

Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD, who topped the tally on 13.2%, with 7,470 of the tallied first preferences, described the result as “encouraging” but cautioned that transfers would be vital.

Mr O’Sullivan said he did not expect to top the poll when votes are counted, but he said the tally showed an interesting change in voting patterns in the constituency.

“The tally is encouraging, but we’re all waiting for the first official count to happen, and that’s when things will get real,” he said.

“The most encouraging thing for us in Fianna Fáil is that we have topped the parties in Cork North Central, we’re on 24% according to the tally, and Sinn Féin is significantly behind us on the tally on 18%. 

“That’s down significantly on the 2020 general election.” 

Mr O’Sullivan said he believed his party’s three-candidate strategy had been broadly successful in Cork North Central.

“I think myself, Tony [Fitzgerald] and Sandra [Murphy Kelleher] worked as well as we could have, we ran a three-candidate strategy, which is always difficult, but at the same time, I think it has helped us to maximise the vote.” 

He added that he believed the election would be decided mostly in the later counts.

“I’m calling this an election of transfers, there’s not necessarily a wave for anybody the way there previously might have been in years past, so for me this election is going to be determined on transfers,” he said.

“In a lot of four- and five-seaters up and down the country, the last seats will be long counts and tough to call.” 

Mr O’Sullivan said he was hopeful that the outgoing coalition parties would again go into government together, but would not be drawn on what other parties might be needed to make up a majority.

“We’ll try and make a government out of whatever is going to transpire in the coming days and I think there will be considerable negotiation in the days ahead,” he said.

1.25pm: All 160 of the ballot boxes in Cork North Central have now been tallied and Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD appears to be topping the poll on 13.2% with 7,470 of the tallied first preferences.

Just behind him is Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD on 12.6% with 7,129 votes.

Independent Ireland’s Kenneth O’Flynn is on 9.82% with 5,558.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD is on 9.77% with 5,527, while Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald is on 7.04% with 3,984, and People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry TD is on 6% with 3,392.

Labour’s Eoghan Kenny is on 5.63% with 3,184, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch is on 5% with 2,794.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher is on 4.79% with 2,711, while Labour’s John Maher is on 4.54% with 2,566.

Ireland First’s Derek Blighe is on 4.22% with 2,389, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle is on 3.82% with 2,162, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher is on 3.57% with 2,022.

Finian Toomey of Aontú is on 3.18% with 1,799, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly is on 2.25% with 1,275, and the Green Party’s Oliver Moran is on 2.14% with 1,208.

The Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy is on 2.1% with 1,187, while Rachel Hurley Roche, who is Independent but aligned with the Worker’s Party, is on 0.58% with 330.

Independent candidate Martin Condon is on 0.25% with 144, while Independent Joseph Peters is on 0.2% with 112, and Independent John Donoghue is on 0.2% with 122.

In vote share, Fianna Fáil is leading with 23.82%, Sinn Féin is on 17.54%, Fine Gael is on 16.82%, others 16.6%, Labour 10.16%, Independent Ireland 9.7%, People Before Profit-Solidarity 6%, Social Democrats 5.92%, Aontu 3.18%, and the Green Party is on 2.14%.

12.25pm: With 140 out of 160 ballot boxes in Cork North Central now tallied, or 87.5%, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD is currently on 14%, with 6,978 of the tallied first preferences.

Just behind him is Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD on 12% with 5,976 votes.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD is on 10% with 5,063, while Independent Ireland’s Kenneth O’Flynn is on 9% with 4,367.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald is on 7% with 3,453, while Labour’s Eoghan Kenny is on 6% with 3,044.

People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry TD is also on 6% with 2,899, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch is on 5% with 2,676.

Fine Gael’s Garret Kelleher is on 5% with 2,650, while Ireland First’s Derek Blighe is on 4% with 2,064.

Labour’s John Maher is on 4% with 2,015, while the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle is on 4% with 1,951, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher is on 4% with 1,948.

Finian Toomey of Aontú is on 4% with 1,628, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly is on 2% with 1,188, and the Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy is on 2% with 1,128.

The Green Party’s Oliver Moran is on 2% with 1,080, while Rachel Hurley Roche, who is Independent but aligned with the Worker’s Party, is on 1% with 277.

12.20pm:

With 120 out of 160 ballot boxes in Cork North Central now tallied, or 75%, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD is currently on 14%, or 5,897, of the tallied first preferences.

Just behind him is Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD on 12% with 5,017 votes.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD is on 10% with 4,449, while Independent Ireland’s Kenneth O’Flynn is on 9% with 3,868.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald is on 6% with 2,721, while Labour’s Eoghan Kenny is on 6% with 2,554.

People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry TD is also on 6% with 2,519.

Fine Gael's Garret Kelleher is on 6% with 2,383, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch is on 5% with 2,287.

Labour’s John Maher is on 4% with 1,800, while Ireland First’s Derek Blighe is on 4% with 1,767.

The Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle is on 4% with 1,731, and Fianna Fáil’s Sandra Murphy Kelleher is on 4% with 1,675.

Finian Toomey of Aontú is on 3% with 1,395, while Fine Gael’s Imelda Daly is on 2% with 1,028, and the Social Democrats’ Ciarán McCarthy is on 2% with 1,005.

The Green Party’s Oliver Moran is on 2% with 963, while Rachel Hurley Roche, who is Independent but aligned with the Worker’s Party, is on 1% with 253.

In vote share, Fianna Fáil is leading with 24%, Sinn Féin is on 18%, Fine Gael is on 18%, others 14%, Labour 10%, Social Democrats 6%, People Before Profit-Solidarity 6%, Aontú 3%, and the Green Party is on 2%.

12pm: With 62% of boxes tallied in Cork North Central, Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD has pulled ahead on 14%, or 4,865.

Just behind him is Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD, who is on 12% of the tallied first preferences with 4,352 votes.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke TD is on 9% with 3,312, while Independent Ireland’s Kenneth O’Flynn is also on 9% with 3,271.

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald is on 7% with 2,365, People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry TD is also on 6% with 2,251.

Fine Gael's Garret Kelleher is on 6% with 2,175, while Sinn Féin’s Joe Lynch is on 6% with 1,962.

Labour’s John Maher is on 5% with 1,665, the Social Democrats’ Susan Doyle is on 4% with 1,536, and Ireland First’s Derek Blighe is on 4% with 1,439.

In vote share, Fianna Fáil is leading with 24%, Sinn Féin is on 18%, others 18%, Fine Gael 18%, Independent Ireland 9%, Labour 6% and People Before Profit-Solidarity on 6%.

11pm: With 31% of boxes tallied in Cork North Central, Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD, who topped the poll in the 2020 general election, looks to be currently out in front with 16% of the tallied first preferences.

Fianna Fáil’s Pádraig O’Sullivan TD is currently tallying at 14%, while Independent Ireland’s Kenneth O’Flynn is tallying at 13%, and sitting TDs Colm Burke (Fine Gael) and Mick Barry (People Before Profit-Solidarity) are on 9% and 8% respectively.

With tally people giving a likely quota of 3,451 on the boxes currently opened, Thomas Gould has 2,693 votes, with Pádraig O’Sullivan at 2,387, Kenneth O’Flynn at 2,186, Colm Burke at 1,484 and Mick Barry at 1,441.

Labour’s John Maher is on 7% at 1,269, with Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald on 7% with 1,170 and Ireland First’s Derek Blighe on 5% with 1,189.

In of vote share, Fianna Fáil is leading with 22%, Sinn Féin is on 19%, others 18%, Fine Gael 14%, Independent Ireland 11%, Labour 8% and People Before Profit-Solidarity on 8%.

Earlier: The tally is underway in Nemo Rangers, where boxes opened at 9am for the votes for Cork North Central.

In Cork North Central, there are 21 candidates for five seats. 

The four incumbents; Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould, Fine Gael’s Colm Burke, People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry and Fianna Fáil’s Padraig O’Sullivan are all running again, but an extra seat has been added.

There are three Fine Gael candidates, three Fianna Fáil, two Sinn Féin, two Labour, two Social Democrats, and four Independent candidates running.

One Independent Ireland candidate, one Green, one Aontú, one People Before Profit-Solidarity and one Ireland First are also contesting for a seat.