Local Elections 2024 Carlow: Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael look set to control the council (2024)

It has been an incredibly tense four days, with two shock recounts called in the Tullow LEA.

The 18 seats have now been filled across the three districts of Muinebheag, Carlow and Tullow.

Muinebheag LEA:

Thomas Kinsella- Fine Gael

Willie Quinn- Labour

Andy Gladney- Sinn Féin

Daniel Pender- Fianna Fáil- New

Michael Doran- Fine Gael

Carlow LEA:

Fintan Phelan- Fianna Fáil

Andrea Dalton- Fianna Fáil

Fergal Browne- Fine Gael

John Cassin- Independent Ireland

Adrienne Wallace- People Before Profit

Ken Murnane- Fianna Fáil

Paul Doogue- Fine Gael- New

Tullow LEA :

John Pender- Fianna Fáil

Charlie Murphy- Independent

Will Paton- Independent

Ben Ward- Fine Gael (New)

Brian O’Donoghue- Fine Gael

Jim Deane- Sinn Féin

The state of play now stands as:

Fine Gael: 6

Fianna Fáil: 5

Non-Party: 2

Sinn Féin: 2

Labour: 1

Independent Ireland: 1

People Before Profit: 1

Carlow County Council has remained mostly the same, bar one or two small changes.

Fianna Fáil lost a seat and went down to five, Sinn Féin gained one and went up to two, Independents dropped from three to two and Independent Ireland got their first councillor elected to Carlow County Council.

Fine Gael stayed the same with six seats, while Labour and People Before Profit each retained one seat each.

Muinebheag stayed the same party wise with just a change of face for Fianna Fáil with Arthur McDonald losing his seat to younger Fianna Fáil newcomer Daniel Pender.

Everyone else in Muinebheag retained their seats.

Next in the Carlow LEA, there were a few small changes. John Cassin retained his seat, but as an Independent Ireland councillor rather than Independent.

Outgoing Carlow mayor, Fine Gael’s Tom O’Neil lost his seat to Fine Gael newcomer Paul Doogue.

This means in the Carlow LEA, it pretty much remained the same party wise, with the only change being John Cassin moving from Independent to Independent Ireland.

The Tullow LEA on the other hand is the only district that saw a change of party as Fianna Fáil’s John McDonald lost his seat leaving his colleague John Pender as the only Fianna Fáil councillor in the area.

The Independents have remained the same with Charlie Murphy and Will Paton retaining their seats.

Fine Gael kept their two seats with Brian O’Donoghue retaining his and newcomer Ben Ward taking the retired John Murphy’s place.

Sinn Féin won a seat in Tullow, with Jim Deane elected. Deane had previously sat on Carlow County Council, but lost his seat in 2019. He has now won it back.

Only four new faces were elected and despite a good number of female candidates, only Andrea Dalton and Adrienne Wallace made it into the council as they both retained their seats.

13.50- Brian O’Donoghue and Jim Deane take last two seats in Tullow after two tense recounts

After over 34 hours of counting there is finally a result in the Tullow LEA.

Four tense days and two recounts later, the exhausted Brian O'Donoghue (Fine Gael) and Jim Deane (Sinn Féin) were deemed elected as they took the final two seats.

A disappointed Catherine Callaghan (Fine Gael) fought hard until the end, but it just wasn’t enough this time as she just missed out on a seat.

The final result of the Tullow LEA:

John Pender- Fianna Fáil

Charlie Murphy- Independent

Will Paton- Independent

Ben Ward- Fine Gael

Brian O'Donoghue- Fine Gael

Jim Deane- Sinn Féin

Tuesday 10.50am- Dramatic second recount started in Tullow as count heads into the fourth day

The second recount of the Tullow LEA has started here in the Carlow count centre this morning.

Following the first recount yesterday, Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue lost one single vote bringing him down from 895 to 894 votes.

Sinn Féin's Jim Deane remained the same after the re-count with 893 votes.

While Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan also stayed the same on 892 votes.

Two seats remain with three very determined candidates vying for a spot on the council.

O’Donoghue is the only sitting councillor out of the three candidates, while Deane was an elected councillor previously, however he failed to retain his seat in the 2019 local elections.

This is Callaghan’s first time running for a seat. If the recount goes her way and she is elected, she will be the first woman to hold a seat in the Tullow LEA.

16.40- Tullow drama to carry on for fourth day as second re-count announced for Tuesday

More shocks in the Tullow LEA as a second re-count has been called for 10am tomorrow.

It's following the announcement of the first Tullow re-count that saw Fine Gael's Brian O'Donoghue lose one single vote.

O'Donoghue went down from 895 votes to 894 votes after the re-count.

Sinn Féin's Jim Deane remained the same after the re-count with 893 votes.

While Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan also stayed the same on 892 votes.

A second re-count will take place tomorrow at 10am.

Nail biting stuff in Tullow, the likes of which have never seen before in the district. History is being made right in front of our eyes.

Two seats remain with three candidates determined to sit in them.

16.25- It gets even tighter in the Tullow LEA

Finally the re-count of the Tullow LEA has been announced, however the results have become even tighter.

Fine Gael's Brian O'Donoghue lost one vote so went down from 895 votes to 894 votes after the re-count.

Sinn Féin's Jim Dean remained the same after the re-count with 893 votes.

While Fine Gaels Catherine Callaghan also stayed the same with 892 votes.

The candidates are now discussing how they would like to proceed with this.

Who will get the last two seats? Only time will tell

14.30- No end in sight for Tullow LEA re-count

With all the seats filled in the Muinebheag and Carlow LEA’s, all eyes are on the Tullow LEA re-count.

No end seems to be in sight for the re-count, with Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue and Catherine Callaghan and Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane nervously waiting to see will that recount get them elected or sent home.

13.46- Cheers and tears as final Carlow LEA seats filled on the fourteenth count

Cheers erupted in the Carlow count centre as finally, the last four remaining seats on the Carlow LEA were filled on the fourteenth count.

Independent Cllr turned Independent Ireland candidate, John Cassin, met the quota.

However, as John Cassin's surplus was not enough for the remaining four candidates to meet the quota, the lowest candidate, Sinn Féin's Mark Callinan was eliminated, just losing out on a seat.

People Before Profit's Adrienne Wallace and Fianna Fáil's Ken Murnane retained their seats and newcomer, Paul Doogue, won a seat for Fine Gael.

The new elected Carlow LEA:

• Fintan Phelan- Fianna Fáil
• Andrea Dalton- Fianna Fáil
• Fergal Browne- Fine Gael
• John Cassin- Independent Ireland
• Adrienne Wallace- People Before Profit
• Ken Murnane- Fianna Fáil
• Paul Doogue- Fine Gael

This means that the Carlow LEA will remain mostly the same. The only new Councillor is Fine Gael's Paul Doogue, with Fine Gael's Tom O'Neill losing his seat.

12.40- Shock as Carlow mayor eliminated

The announcement of the results of the thirteenth count in the Carlow LEA was followed by a shocked silence as Mayor Tom O'Neill was eliminated.

The Fine Gael councillor had been looking vulnerable since yesterday, however Cllr O’Neill had stayed put in the count centre until moments before his elimination in support of his Fine Gael colleagues.

No candidates were elected this round.

However Independent Ireland's John Cassin is nearing to the quota of 999 with 968 votes currently.

12.23- Still only one woman elected to Carlow County Council so far

Only one woman has been elected to Carlow County Council so far.

Fianna Fáil’s Andrea Dalton retained her seat in the Carlow LEA in count one.

At the moment, she is the only woman elected in Carlow.

However, People Before Profit’s Adrienne Wallace is still in the running in the Carlow LEA, while Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan could still possibly be elected if the Tullow re-count goes in her favour.

11.50- Far right candidate eliminated in count 12 of the Carlow LEA

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Rory Woods (The Irish People)

11.00- Carlow LEA count 11

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Jolly O’Rock (Independent)

Monday 10am- Day three of counting under way in Carlow count centre

The dust has settled following yesterday’s drama as a shock re-count was called for the entire Tullow LEA.

That re-count has now gotten under way with Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue and Catherine Callaghan and Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane nervously waiting to see will that recount get them elected or sent home.

But why was a re-count called yesterday?

In the thirteenth count of the Tullow LEA, it was down to three candidates vying for two seats.

The end of the full count was in sight… or so we thought.

In the thirteenth count it was announced Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue on 895 votes, Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane on 893 votes and Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan on 892.

Only three votes separated the three candidates.

Just as Brian O’Donoghue’s face lit up, thinking he had retained his seat, it quickly dropped again as Catherine Callaghan shouted “re-count”.

The Carlow LEA candidates have also returned for yet another gruelling day of counting with only three of the seven seats filled.

We hopefully will have a full list of the newly elected Carlow LEA by today’s close of business.

However we have learnt to expect the unexpected here the Carlow count centre so who knows what today will bring.

23.30- What’s due to happen at the Carlow count centre tomorrow?

With a very eventful few hours in the Carlow count centre wrapped up for today, you may be wondering how proceedings will unfold tomorrow.

At the end of day two of counting in the Carlow centre, only one of the three local electoral areas has all their seats filled.

The fate of the Muinebheag was decided on Saturday. The elected council consists of:

• Thomas Kinsella- Fine Gael
• Willie Quinn- Labour
• Andy Gladney- Sinn Féin
• Daniel Pender- Fianna Fáil
• Michael Doran- Fine Gael

Meanwhile yesterday (Saturday June 6), in the Tullow LEA only two councillors were elected. Those were Fianna Fáil’s John Pender and Independent Charlie Murphy. Today Sunday, Independent Will Paton retained his seat in the Tullow LEA, while newcomer Ben Ward won a seat for Fine Gael.

Just like in Tullow, only two Cllrs were elected to Carlow County Council yesterday (Fianna Fáil’s Fintan Phelan and Andrea Dalton). Today Sunday, they were joined by Fine Gael’s Fergal Browne who was also elected to the Carlow LEA.

Since then, the Carlow count has been incredibly slow as no other candidates are near the quota. This has led to a situation whereby each count, candidates with the lowest amounts of votes are being eliminated. These surplus votes are being redistributed to other candidates. But as the surplus votes are very small, none of the other candidates have been massively benefitting from them, which means none of them are meeting the quota yet.

Following the tenth count in the Carlow LEA, it was announced that the count was adjourned for the night and would start again at 10am on Monday.

Hopefully it will move at a quicker pace tomorrow and we will have a full list of the newly elected Carlow LEA by Monday’s close of business.

Meanwhile in the Tullow LEA there was a shock re-count announced of the entire Tullow LEA, due to commence at 10am Monday. This means that all of the Tullow votes are to be counted again right from the start.

But why was a re-count called?

In the thirteenth count of the Tullow LEA, it was down to three candidates vying for two seats.

The end of the full count was in sight… or so we thought.

In the thirteenth count it was announced Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue on 895 votes, Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane on 893 votes and Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan on 892.

Only three votes separated the three candidates.

Just as Brian O’Donoghue’s face lit up, thinking he had retained his seat, it quickly dropped again as Catherine Callaghan shouted “re-count”.

And with that, it was decided that an entire re-count of the Tullow LEA would take place tomorrow at 10am.

Brian O’Donoghue, Jim Deane and Catherine Callaghan will have to wait anxiously until tomorrow to see if the re-count does anything to solidify their chances of getting a seat.

21.55- Chaos in Carlow

After a very slow and quiet day in Carlow, chaos has erupted in the last hour.

But this chaos has now been paused until tomorrow with an entire re-count of the Tullow LEA to start at 10am and the Carlow count to resume, also at 10am tomorrow.

21.50- Sinn Féin’s Nicoleta Chiorean eliminated and count adjourned in Carlow LEA until 10am tomorrow

In the tenth count of the Carlow LEA, no candidates were elected, while Sinn Féin’s Nicoleta Chiorean was eliminated.

The count for the Carlow LEA has been adjourned until tomorrow at 10am.

21.44-Full re-count declared for Tullow LEA

A full re-count has been declared for Tullow LEA due to take place tomorrow at 10am.

With three candidates vying for one seat, Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan called for a re-check following the results of the thirteenth count in the Tullow LEA.

In the thirteenth count, Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue got 895, Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane got 893 and Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan got 892.

However, no candidate has been deemed elected in this round due to the close results with Catherine Callaghan calling for a re-count.

An entire re-count of the Tullow LEA is taking place tomorrow at 10am

20.53- Fine Gael's youngest candidate in the country elected

The Fine Gael voters in Carlow have chosen youth as Fine Gael's youngest candidate in the country, 21-year-old Ben Ward, was elected to the Tullow LEA on the 12th count.

His parents, clearly emotional, watched on as it was announced that Ben Ward had met the quota of 1114 with 1177 votes.

"I can't believe it. I'm over-the-moon. It has exceeded all of my expectations, I really can't believe," said Ben Ward smiling from ear to ear.

"I think the fact I am young gives me a different perspective, and I can bring my experience of being a young person in Carlow with me into my role as councillor. It's important to have different ages represented because then we have a mix of perspectives on the council. But I suppose I always stress that I don't want to just represent young people, I'm here to represent all ages."

Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan and sitting Cllr Brian O’Donoghue and Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane will have to battle it out for the remaining two seats.

20.48- Carlow LEA ninth count:

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Molly Aylesbury (The Green Party)

20.00- Carlow LEA eighth count:

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Daeln Murphy (The National Party)

19.45- Tullow LEA eleventh count

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Billy Nolan (Independent)

We possibly could finally have another candidate elected as newcomer Ben Ward (Fine Gael) nears the quota of 1114 with 1009 votes.

Fine Gael’s Catherine Callaghan and sitting Cllr Brian O’Donoghue and Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane will have to battle it out for the remaining two seats

19.20- Carlow LEA seventh count:

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Ruairí Doyle (Sinn Féin)

19.00- Shock as sitting Cllr John McDonald eliminated

There is shock in the Carlow count centre as sitting Cllr Fianna Fáil's John McDonald has been eliminated on the tenth count.

This means that John Pender will be the only Fianna Fáil Cllr in the Tullow LEA having been elected to the council yesterday.

18.41- Maria Ryan eliminated on Carlow LEA in the sixth count

No one was elected this round, while Maria Ryan from Ireland First was eliminated.

18.03- The ninth count in the Tullow LEA:

Elected: No one

Eliminated: Annette McDonnell (Independent) with 405 votes

17.45- Far-right candidate eliminated in the fifth count of the Carlow LEA

The fifth count of the Carlow LEA saw no other candidates elected.

However, Orla Donohoe from the Irish Freedom Party was eliminated.

17.35- Is the local bingo more important than election results?

There have been short delays in the Carlow Count centre as the microphone used for announcing the results disappeared only to turn up at the local bingo in Graiguecullen, Carlow

Don't worry the team in the centre managed to source another microphone just in time for the eighth count in Tullow LEA.

During this count, no further candidates were elected or eliminated.

16.49- Sinn Féin’s Ken Gahan eliminated in seventh count in Tullow LEA

No one has been elected in the seventh count in the Tullow LEA.

As the lowest candidate, Sinn Féin’s Ken Gahan has been eliminated.

16.34- No one elected to Carlow LEA in fourth count

No one has been elected to the Carlow LEA in the fourth count.

As the lowest polled candidate, Independent Adetula Temiola has been eliminated with 124 votes.

16.00- Finally some movement in the Carlow count centre as Will Paton elected in Tullow LEA in the sixth count

Finally some action in the Carlow count centre as Independent Will Paton has claimed the third seat in the sixth count in the Tullow LEA, leaving three remaining seats still up for grabs.

Will made a shock move from Labour to Independent a few months before the elections, which seems to have worked in his favour.

As Independent candidate Patricia Fennelly Nolan was the lowest on the poll with 231, she has been eliminated.

15.30- Still no one elected in Tullow after the fifth count

As the lowest candidate, People Before Profit's John Cahill has been eliminated on 202 votes.

15.15- Far-right candidate eliminated in Tullow LEA

Still not much movement in the Tullow LEA as the fourth count saw no one elected.

As the lowest performing candidate, Daeln Murphy from The National Party, has been eliminated with 151 votes.

Daeln is also running in the Carlow LEA but is currently sat close to the bottom of the poll with no prospect of being elected unless something really shocking happens with the next transfers.

15.10- No one elected in third count in Carlow LEA

Fianna Fáil Andrea Dalton's surplus votes were still not enough to get any more of the Carlow LEA candidates elected.

Fine Gael Fergal Browne's surplus votes will now be distributed during the fourth count.

The candidates that are currently the nearest to the quota of 999 are Fianna Fáil's Ken Murnane on 733 votes and former Independent Cllr turned Independent Ireland candidate John Cassin on 649 votes.

14.20- Sinn Féin's woes seem to be multiplying as the party struggles in Carlow

Sinn Féin's woes seem to be spreading to other count centres around the country as the party is now struggling in Carlow.

Andy Gladney managed to retain his seat for Sinn Féin in the Muinebheag LEA yesterday, however today it is looking likely that the party will struggle to get another candidate elected to join Andy.

Sinn Féin's Phil Thompson has been eliminated in the Tullow LEA and Andy's daughter Áine Gladney was eliminated in the Muinebheag LEA, while the rest of the party's candidates are struggling across the Tullow and Carlow LEA's.

Jim Deane in Tullow is the closet Sinn Féin candidate to a seat, however, that will only come to fruition if transfers go his way. If not, he is unlikely to be elected.

The only elected Sinn Féin Cllr currently in Carlow County Council, Andy Gladney, said that Sinn Féin ran too many candidates in Carlow, which ultimately led to the party's downfall in the county.

"It is what it is. Planning within the party hasn't worked out because running three Sinn Féin candidates in the Tullow LEA was a complete and utter disaster. They went outside the party to bring in people who had nothing to do with the party previously and I'm not saying that you shouldn't do that but it didn't work this time.

"I feel very sorry for the Sinn Féin candidates that don't get in. Some of them spent an awful lot of money on posters and canvassing to then not get elected. It is tough.

He added: "It would be great if Jim Deane could get elected in Tullow, he is an absolute gentleman. Jim was on the council with me previously for a five year term, but he lost out by 34 votes to John McDonald in 2019, so I would be hoping that he gets in because he is a great guy to work with on the council."

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil currently have the most candidates elected to Carlow County Council.

13.50- Fine Gael's youngest candidate in the country is holding his own

Charlie Murphy's surplus votes were not enough to get any of the Tullow LEA candidates elected in the third count.

As the lowest candidate Phil Thompson from Sinn Féin has been eliminated.

Independent Will Paton is close to meeting the quota of 1114 with 1066 votes.

Fine Gael's youngest candidate, 21-year-old Ben Ward, is also holding his own.

11.52- Will the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael trend continue in the Carlow LEA?

Cheers erupted in the Carlow count centre as it was announced that Fine Gael's Fergal Browne retained his seat with 1047 votes after the surplus from count one was re-distributed.

No other candidate has met the quota of 999 yet.

Fergal joins Fianna Fáil's Fintan Phelan and Andrea Dalton who were both elected yesterday in the first count.

It will be interesting to see if the trend of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael continues into the later counts in the Carlow LEA.

11.50- No one elected or eliminated during Tullow LEA’s second count

Fianna Fáil John Pender's surplus votes wasn't enough to get any candidate elected to the Tullow LEA on the second count.

The surplus votes from Independent Charlie Murphy will now be distributed out in count three.

However, one question on everyone’s lips is: Will all three Fine Gael candidates get elected in the Tullow LEA?

It possibly could happen with Catherine Callaghan, Ben Ward and sitting Cllr Brian O’Donoghue holding their own.

10am- As day two of counting gets under way in Carlow here’s a recap of yesterday’s events

It was a long day for the Carlow County Council candidates yesterday with counting going on into the early hours of the morning.

The last of yesterday’s results came in just after 1.30am with it then being announced that proceedings would be adjourned until 10am Sunday morning.

10am has now arrived and some weary looking candidates are slowly trickling into the count centre. The highs of yesterday’s wins are now a distant memory as tiredness has clearly taken over the count centre.

The first of this morning’s results should hopefully inject a bit of adrenalin into the room as we prepare for some more highs, some definite lows and of course some political shocks.

Of the three LEA’s, only Muinebheag has all of the seats filled. Fine Gael’s Thomas Kinsella soared past the post and he was the first elected councillor for Carlow County Council.

Next came an emotional Willie Quinn. As the only Labour candidate across the whole of Carlow County Council, he felt the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders as he was determined to ensure that Labour would not become extinct in Carlow, following his colleague, Will Paton’s shock move from Labour to Independent only months before the election.

Sinn Féin’s Andy Gladney retained his seat but did not seem to be happy with the party he represents saying that too many Sinn Féin candidates across the country have become “populist”.

Newcomer and the baby of the Muinebheag candidates, Fianna Fáil’s Daniel Pender, took the fourth seat. A shock elimination of long-time Muinebheag Fianna Fáil Cllr Arthur McDonald, showed that the voters were perhaps favouring youth over experience.

After over 30 years on Carlow County Council, Arthur McDonald lost out to young first time candidate, 24-year-old Daniel Pender who took the Fianna Fáil vote in Muinebheag.

Taking the last seat for Fine Gael in Muinebheag was long-time councillor Michael Doran.

Now the focus today shifts to the Tullow and the Carlow LEA’s with only the first count results announced for both areas last night.

Yesterday, in the Tullow LEA, Fianna Fáil’s John Pender and Independent Charlie Murphy were elected on the first count.

This is a significant achievement for John Pender as it’s his eighth consecutive time being elected having served 39 years on Carlow County Council.

In the Carlow LEA, it was Fianna Fáil galore in the first count, as both Fintan Phelan and Andrea Dalton retained their seats.

With nine of the 18 seats filled, Fianna Fáil seems to be taking a slight lead in Carlow County Council with four councillors elected. Next is Fine Gael with three and Labour, Sinn Féin and Independent all have one each.

Despite a large amount of new Independent candidates, the Carlow voters seem to be sticking with the old reliable vote of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil as they have done for the last number of years.

The far-right parties don’t seem to have taken a hold here with their candidates finding themselves on the lower end of the poll in most of the LEA’s.

1.40am- Fianna Fáil colleagues Fintan Phelan and Andrea Dalton elected in first count for Carlow LEA

The first count in the Carlow LEA has seen sitting Fianna Fáil colleagues Fintan Phelan and Andrea Dalton elected.

Fintan topped the polls with 1,678 votes followed by Andrea Dalton with 1149.

None of the other candidates reached the quota of 999.

After the first count in the Carlow LEA:

Aylesbury, Molly (GP): 240 votes

Browne, Fergal (FG)*: 893 votes

Callinan, Mark (SF): 348 votes

Cassin, John (Independent Ireland)*: 590 votes

Chiorean, Nicoleta (SF): 238 votes

Dalton, Andrea (FF)*: 1149 votes

Donohue, Orla (I.F.P): 132 votes

Doogue, Paul (FG): 425 votes

Doyle, Ruairí (SF): 156 votes

Murnane, Ken (FF)*: 562 votes

Murphy, Daeln (The National Party): 157 votes

O’Neill, Tom(FG)*: 398 votes

O’Rock, Jolly (Ind): 176 votes

Phelan, Fintan (FF)*:1,678 votes

Ryan, Maria (Ireland First): 141 votes

Temiola, Adetula (Ind): 113 votes

Wallace, Adrienne (PBP)*:418 votes

Woods, Rory (The Irish People): 171 votes

00.14- Counting finished in the Muinebheag LEA with Andy Gladney, Daniel Pender and Michael Doran elected

All five seats in the Muinebheag LEA have been filled tonight.

The fourth and final count saw Sinn Féin’s Andy Gladney, Fianna Fáil’s Daniel Pender and Fine Gael’s Michael Doran elected and Fianna Fáil’s Arthur McDonald eliminated.

It was shock to hear longstanding councillor Arthur McDonald eliminated after over 30 years on Carlow County Council.

Fianna Fáil’s voters seem to have chosen the younger of the two Fianna Fáil candidates as in the final count 24-year-old newcomer Daniel Pender was elected over Arthur McDonald.

23.20- Áine Gladney and Liam O’Brien eliminated in Muinebheag LEA

Sinn Féin’s Áine Gladney and The Green Party’s Liam O’Brien have been eliminated in the third count in the Muinebheag LEA.

23.00- John Pender and Charlie Murphy first elected in Tullow LEA

Fianna Fáil’s John Pender has been elected alongside Independent candidate Charlie Murphy.

John Pender topped the polls with 1335 votes followed by Charlie Murphy with 1286.

This is a significant achievement for John Pender as it’s his eighth consecutive time being elected having served 39 years on Carlow County Council.

No other candidates in the Tullow LEA have met the quota of 1114.

Independent Will Paton is going strong with 1,017 votes, followed next by Fine Gael’s youngest candidate 21-year-old Ben Ward who has 704 votes.

Next is Fine Gael’s Brian O’Donoghue with 631, Catherine Callaghan on 614 and Sinn Féin’s Jim Deane on 419.

Fianna Fáil’s John McDonald has 362, Independent Billy Nolan has 323, Independent Annette McDonnell has 254, Sinn Féin’s Ken Gahan on 218 and Patricia Fennelly Nolan on 185.

On the bottom sits People Before Profit’s John Cahill on 178, Daeln Murphy from The National Party on 146 and Sinn Féin’s Phil Thompson on 125.

22.20- Delays in Carlow

A few discrepancies with votes in the Carlow Count centre have slowed down proceedings tonight.

According to Carlow's returning officer, Eamon Brophy, they are aiming to have the results for the first count for the Carlow LEA tonight. He estimates that will happen around midnight and the rest of the Carlow count will then be adjourned until 10am tomorrow.

Eamon also aims to have the results of the first Tullow LEA count tonight with the rest of the Tullow count also adjourned until 10am tomorrow.

The counts for the Muinebheag LEA will continue in the mean time and there are hopes we will have the full results of who has been elected to Muinebheag before we head home for the night.

21-50: Co Carlow’s only Labour candidate re-elected to Muinebheag LEA in the second count

It was an emotional day for Willie Quinn as he was re-elected to the Muinebheag LEA in the second count confirming that just one Labour Cllr will have a seat in the Carlow County Council chamber.

Willie Quinn was the only Labour candidate to run in these elections with long-time Labour colleague Will Paton making a shock move from Labour to Independent a few months before the elections.

Willie Quinn got in on the second count with 205 of Tommy Kinsella’s surplus votes, bringing him to a total of 1,295.

The other candidates still have not reached the quota of 1,183.

Voters in the Muinebheag LEA don’t seem to be voting on party as Willie Quinn got the highest amount of Fine Gael’s Thomas Kinsella’s surplus votes, despite the fact he is with Labour.

Remember, Fine Gael’s Michael Doran is still hoping to be elected, however he received a lower 140 surplus votes compared to Willie Quinn’s 205. If voters were making their decision based on party, it would have been expected that Michael Doran would have got more of the surplus votes, not Willie Quinn.

19.40- Thomas Kinsella re-elected on first count for Muinebheag LEA

The first of the results have been announced at the Carlow count centre for the Muinebheag LEA.

Fine Gael’s Thomas Kinsella has been re-elected in the first count with 1,732 votes.

A quota of 1,183 has been set for the Muinebheag LEA. No other candidates have met this quota in the first round.

Currently Labour’s Willie Quinn has 1,090 votes, Sinn Féin’s Andy Gladney has 1,018 and Fianna Fáil’s Daniel Pender has 986 votes.

Next is Fine Gael’s Michael Doran on 943 votes, Fianna Fáil’s Arthur McDonald on 819, The Green Party’s Liam O’Brien on 295 and Sinn Féin’s Áine Gladney on 210 votes.

Cllr Kinsella’s surplus votes will now be distributed.

17.50- Sitting Labour Cllr Willie Quinn has his number 1 supporter cheering him on

Sitting Cllr and only Labour candidate Willie Quinn has brought his number one supporter with him to the count centre.

Lily Quinn is cheering on her grandfather hoping he can keep his seat in the Muinebheag LEA.

17.25 – Doesn’t look like we’ll get our first results by 5.30pm as first estimated by counters

Early estimations indicated that the first results would start coming in for the Muinebheag LEA between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, however it has not worked out that way.

Spoilt votes are currently being checked for the Muinebheag LEA so hopefully we’ll get our first results soon.

16.50 – Father and daughter duo nervously awaiting results of Muinebheag first count

History has been made in the Carlow count centre today as a father is joined by his daughter on the ballot paper for the same electoral area and the same party.

Sitting Sinn Féin Cllr Andy Gladney and his daughter Áine Gladney, also a Sinn Féin candidate, are both nervously awaiting the results of the Muinebheag LEA count.

Although the odds do not seem to be in Áine’s favour this time round, her father says he is so proud to have canvased alongside his daughter.

"I’m very proud of Áine and all that she has achieved and it has been a great experience running alongside her for the same party and same LEA,” smiled Andy.

15.40- Two Fine Gael newcomers holding their own according to Tullow LEA tallies

Two newcomers are holding their own in the Tullow LEA with Fine Gael candidates Catherine Callaghan and Ben Ward performing well according to the tallies

According to tallies, Ben has 678 while Catherine has 614.

On the other end of the spectrum, newcomer Daeln Murphy of The National Party will struggle as he sits on 154 according to tallies. Newcomer and People Before Profit candidate, John Cahill, has also found himself down the bottom of the tallies with 166.

14.55- Two and a half hours ahead of schedule at the Carlow count centre

Things are an impressive two and half hours ahead of schedule in the Carlow count centre with the first results estimated to be announced between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

The count for the Muinebheag LEA started about 30 minutes ago. The counters are attributing the record times to the fact each LEA box is being opened separately in order of Muinebheag, Tullow and Carlow.

14:20- Counting started in Muinebheag LEA

The local votes have been moved from the separation centre in St. Laurence O’Tooles in Askea, Carlow to the count centre in the Youth Centre in Green Lane Carlow.

The Muinebheag boxes are currently open and are being counted with it expected that the Tullow votes will be counted next and Carlow last.

According to the tallies for the Carlow Town LEA, it’s looking promising for Fianna Fáil’s sitting Cllr Fintan Phelan who looks to be ahead with just over 21%. Next is Fianna Fáil’s sitting Cllr Andrea Dalton with 14.48%.

In Tullow, the tallymen have reported that Fianna Fáil’s sitting Cllr John Pender seems to be taking the lead on 16.78% followed by Independent sitting Cllr Charlie Murphy on 16.44%.

Finally, in Muinebheag, Fine Gael’s sitting Cllr Thomas Kinsella is flying ahead with over 24% and Labour’s sitting Cllr Willie Quinn also seems to be performing well.

9.00- Ballot boxes have opened as counting gets under way

Members of the Carlow public have had their say on who they want to represent them in Carlow County Council for the next five years.

Voting finished last night and now the first of the ballot boxes have been opened here in St. Laurence O’Tooles in Askea, Carlow with the separation of the European and local votes under way.

The boxes for the local elections in Carlow will then be brought to the Youth Centre on Green Lane where the count will take place.

The candidates have done all they can and now all that is left for them to do is nervously wait to see the outcome of your votes. Will the council remain largely the same or will we see some new faces take their seats in the Carlow council chamber?

We will have all the live updates from the Carlow local election count here on this page so make sure to keep checking in with us.

Here is a quick recap of all the candidates across the three municipal districts of Carlow, Tullow and Muinebheag who have been vying for a seat on Carlow County Council:

Carlow (7 seats up for grabs)

Aylesbury, Molly (GP)

Browne, Fergal (FG)*

Callinan, Mark (SF)

Cassin, John (Independent Ireland)*

Chiorean, Nicoleta (SF)

Dalton, Andrea (FF)*

Donohue, Orla (I.F.P)

Doogue, Paul (FG)

Doyle, Ruairí (SF)

Murnane, Ken (FF)*

Murphy, Daeln (The National Party. Also running in the Tullow)

O’Neill, Tom(FG)*

O’Rock, Jolly (Ind)

Phelan, Fintan (FF)*

Ryan, Maria (Ireland First)

Temiola, Adetula (Ind)

Wallace, Adrienne (PBP)*

Woods, Rory (The Irish People)

Muinebheag (5 seats up for grabs)

Doran, Michael (FG)*

Gladney, Áine (SF)

Gladney, Andy (SF)*

Kinsella, Thomas (FG)*

McDonald, McDonald (FF)*

O’Brien, Liam (GP)

Pender, Daniel (FF)

Quinn, Willie (Lab)*

Tullow (6 seats up for grabs)

Cahill, John (PBP)

Callaghan, Catherine (FG)

Deane, Jim (SF)

Fennelly Nolan, Patricia (Ind)

Gahan, Ken (SF)

McDonald, John (FF)*

McDonnell, Annette (Ind)

Murphy, Charlie (Ind)*

Murphy, Daeln (The National Party. Also running in Carlow)

Nolan, Billy (Ind)

O’Donoghue, Brian (FG)*

Paton, Will (Ind)*

Pender, John (FF)*

Thompson, Phil (SF)

Ward, Ben (FG)

*Sitting councillors

What did the outgoing council look like:

Carlow County Council is divided into three local electoral areas, Carlow Town Municipal District (MD), the Tullow MD and the Muinebheag MD. The council consists of 18 seats with seven seats in the Carlow Town MD, six seats in the Tullow MD and five seats in the Muinebheag MD. As there are 18 seats up for grabs, a party must have 10 councillors elected to Carlow County Council to have a majority.

In the outgoing council, as chosen in the last local election in 2019, no party held a majority in the council. In some respects, Carlow County Council mirrored what national Government looks like minus the presence of the Green Party. With six seats each, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil attained the most seats in the 2019 election.

The outgoing mayor of Carlow is Fine Gael Cllr Tom O’Neill while the outgoing Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council is Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Andrea Dalton.

However, unlike the Government coalition that includes the Green Party, Carlow County Council had no Green Party Councillors elected back in 2019.

As Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael won the most seats in 2019 in Carlow County Council, the remaining councillors from other political parties were outnumbered.

The remaining six seats are were held by three Independent, one Labour, one People Before Profit and one Sinn Féin councillor.

The outgoing Carlow County Council also had a number of councillors who have been serving 20-plus years as elected members of Carlow County Council. These include Fine Gael’s Thomas Kinsella and Michael Doran, Fianna Fail’s John Pender and Arthur McDonald and former Labour but now Independent Will Paton.

Fine Gael's John Murphy is the only outgoing councillor that did not stand for re-election in Carlow County Council.

Moving forward to the count today and the majority that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil did enjoy in the outgoing council in Carlow could potentially come under threat. The council faces the prospect of a big switch up with a large number of Independent candidates running along with a high number of non-government parties running candidates.

As with most of the country, lack of housing and tackling vacancy and dereliction was a topic that featured heavily on doorsteps in Carlow.

Similarly, immigration, another hot topic both in Carlow and nationwide, has recently become an issue that has divided people in Carlow with a number of anti-immigration protests taking place in the last year.

As a large amount of Carlow’s population live in rural areas, rural issues will always be raised. For instance, potholes and the condition of roads in rural Carlow, the lack of transport links in rural areas and also farming issues.

Another big topic in Carlow is the lack of a women’s refuge. Carlow is still one of nine counties without a women’s refuge. A campaign for a women’s refuge in Carlow started in 2016, yet it still has not been delivered.

The Carlow Women’s Refuge campaigners have now received a commitment from Government that a refuge will be established in 2025.

However, following previous broken promises, the activists say they will keep campaigning until they finally see the doors to a Carlow women’s refuge open.

It will be interesting to see how these heavily featured issues on doorsteps in Carlow impacted how the votes were cast yesterday.