Wicklow General Election 2024 updates: Edward Timmins defeats Stephen Donnelly to join 34th Dáil (2025)

Seats filled: 4

5.24am: Stephen Donnelly loses his fight for final Wicklow seat

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has lost his Dáil seat after an excruciatingly long count in the Shoreline Greystones Centre.

Edward Timmins of Fine Gael defeated him on the 13th and final count which was announced in the wee hours of the morning at 5.24am.

Some within Fianna Fáil may be questioning just how wise it was to run Donnelly as a solo candidate. The tally counts on Friday predicted that it would be a difficult path for the Health Minister to regain his seat, and the actual votes played out in a similar fashion, as he failed to garner enough transfers to catch up with Timmins.

"I am so privileged to have been elected. It’s a humbling experience and I am honoured that the people of Wicklow have supported me in such numbers,” said Cllr Timmins.

Edward Timmins, Fine Gael: 9,100

Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail: 7,547

More reaction and fall out to follow across independent.ie, when the sun comes up.

4.15am: Shay Cullen is eliminated

Shay Cullen has been eliminated on the 12th count with 6,406 votes and now the fight for the fourth seat is between the two remaining candidates, Edward Timmins and Stephen Donnelly.

Deputy John Brady was re-elected on the 11th count and his surplus of 530 was distributed amongst the remaining candidates.

With only one seat remaining up for grabs, Timmins currently has 7,551 votes, compared to 6,471 for Donnelly. The lead is 1,080 votes.

Shay Cullen’s votes will now be redistributed and count 13 will determine who secures the final seat.

Expecting a result at some point before 6am.

3.05am: Deputy Brady returned to the Dáil on the 11th count

Deputy John Brady has been elected to Dáil Éireann for a third successive term in a marathon count at Wicklow, which looks set to continue even further into the early hours of Monday morning.

Deputy Brady did well from Joe Behan’s transfers, securing 1,305, to bring his total votes up to 11,945, and exceeding the quota. His surplus of 530 will now be redistributed as it exceeds the difference of the two lowest candidates.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly secured more transfers than Cllr Edward Timmins, 594 compared to 475, but he still trails the race for the final seat by 1,168 votes. Donnelly has 6,314 votes, while Timmins has 7,482.

Shay Cullen achieved 1,149 transfers and has now achieved 6,102 votes.

There will be the count for Brady's small surplus, then either Donnelly or Cullen will be eliminated, then a final count will decide the winner of the final seat. Will we have a brand new TD?

01.12am: Independent Joe Behan is eliminated on count ten

Non-party Joe Behan has been eliminated on the tenth count and his 4,681 votes will now be redistributed among the four remaining candidates, with two seats still up for grabs.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore’s surplus saw Health Minister Stephen Donnelly closing the gap ever so slightly on Edward Timmins, but the Fine Gael candidate still has a lead of 1,287 in the race for the fourth seat. Donnelly will be hopeful that the transfers from Behan stay in the north of the county, otherwise his chances of re-election look all but dead.

John Brady currently has 10,640 votes, and could be a leading beneficiary of Behan’s transfers given he is also a Bray-based candidate. He needs less than 1,000 votes to make the quota of 11,415 to be elected, while Shay Cullen has 4,953 votes, and as an independent like Behan, may also make gains.

12.03am: Social Democrats joy as Deputy Jennifer Whitmore is re-elected

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore has been re-elected on the ninth count after securing an impressive 1,743 transfers from Steven Matthews of the Green Party after his elimination on count eight. She is the 11th Social Democrat to be elected to the 34th Dáil.

Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore is re-elected on the eighth count at Wicklow count centre

She amassed a total of 12,224 votes, exceeding the quota of 11,415, and her surplus of 809 votes will now be redistributed.

Edward Timmins has extended his lead over Health Minister Stephen Donnelly by another four votes as he received 396 transfers compared to Donnelly’s 392 transfers.

Deputy John Brady is still set for the third seat with 10,491 votes.

Non-party candidates Shay Cullen and Joe Behan currently sit on 4,883 and 4,570 votes.

No more candidates remain with two seats left to fill.

SUNDAY

10.47pm: Green TD Steven Matthews eliminated

Green TD Steven Matthews was eliminated on the eighth count. The writing had been on the wall since the tally on Saturday, but there was still sadness to see the county’s first and only Green TD depart.

Since being elected in 2020 he had been a strong advocate for improving public transport in the county in particular, with a huge amount of his focus going in to the Dart to Wicklow town project.

“I really thought I would do better in Wicklow than I did. Hugely disappointed,” he said. “But that’s the way it goes.

“I think history will judge our four-and-a-half years with the Greens in government as four-and-a half years of delivery on what we said we were going to deliver,” he said. “On public transport, on renewable energy, childcare costs and retrofitting.

“There can be no question on how effective we were in government. But we did fall into that place of being the small party in government. So, there was definitely a small cohort of people that were voting to retain the government but just didn’t see us as part of that government."

After the redistribution of Rob Carry’s votes following his elimination in the seventh count, independent Joe Behan received the most transfers at 669 to bring him up to 4,447 votes.

Deputies Jennifer Whitmore and John Brady are still on course for the second and third seat with 10,481 and 10,289 votes.

Edward Timmins is in the lead for the fourth seat, with 6,379 votes, followed by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on 5,081 votes.

Discontent over the slow progress of the count is growing with reports that the last count might not occur until around 3am.

In comparison the count for Wexford was all done and dusted by 5.15pm.

9.20pm: Slow pace of Wicklow counts continues

The outrageously slow count at Wicklow continues at a snail’s pace with the seventh count only just announced, more than 12 hours after counting of the second count began at 9am this morning.

The frustration in the count centre is growing, with plenty of questions being asked over the length of time it is taking between each count, as the Garden County once again lags behind most other constituencies.

After the redistribution of Cllr Paul O’Brien’s votes in count seven, things are looking extremely rocky for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. He picked up 156 transfers from Cllr Paul O’Brien, who was eliminated in the last count, which brings him to 5,021 votes, but he still trails Edward Timmins, who currently has 6,341 votes.

The big winner from O’Brien’s transfers was Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, who received 680, bringing her total up to 10,313. The quota is 11,415, so it isn’t impossible she will reach that. Deputy John Brady has 9,851 votes.

Non-party Rob Carry was eliminated and his 2,485 votes will now be redistributed, which is predicted to benefit Brady, and probably Joe Behan.

Count 7

Jennifer Whitmore (SD) 680 - 10313

John Brady (SF) 328 - 9851

Edward Timmins (FG) 181 - 6341

Stephen Donnelly (FF) 156 - 5021

Shay Cullen (Ind) 339 - 4189

Joe Behan (Ind) 100 - 3778

Steven Matthews (GP) 284 - 3094

Rob Carry (Ind) 78 - 2465 ELIMINATED

Non transferrable votes: 150

Eliminated: Rob Carry (Ind)

7.50pm: Edward Timmins widens the gap further on Stephen Donnelly after count six

Edward Timmins of Fine Gael has extended his lead over Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for the fourth and final seat.

Cllr Gerry O’Neill was eliminated at the last count and the redistribution of his votes saw 529 going to his fellow west Wicklow man Timmins, while Donnelly received only 180 in comparison. Timmins currently sits on 6,160 votes and has extended his advantage by 1,295 votes, leaving Health Minister Donnelly with a real struggle to secure re-election.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore currently has 9,633 votes, while Deputy John Brady has 9,523 votes.

Cllr Paul O’Brien of the Labour Party has been eliminated and his 2,296 votes will now be redistributed.

6.32pm: Fifth count announced for Wicklow

The Wicklow constituency is now taking shape after the fifth count with Deputy Jennifer Whitmore of the Social Democrats and Deputy John Brady of Sinn Féin poised to take the second and third seat.

Deputy Whitmore now has 9,338 votes after she received 77 votes, while Deputy Brady received 193 votes, bringing his total to 9,143.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has slightly closed the gap with Cllr Edward Timmins for the fourth seat, after receiving 83 votes, compared to 77 votes for Timmins, but the Fine Gael representative from west Wicklow still leads by 946 votes.

As the lowest candidate, Cllr Gerry O’Neill, has been eliminated and his 2,100 votes will now be redistributed, which could benefit Cllr Timmins as geographically both he and Cllr O’Neill are from the Baltinglass district.

5.30pm: ‘We always knew it would be tight’ – Stephen Donnelly to hold out til the bitter end

It was better late than never for the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, as he finally made an appearance in the Wicklow count centre in Greystones, which, in common with the Taoiseach, is just a stone’s throw away from his own home.

Congratulating “Simon on his re-election”, he thanked everyone who voted for him and who went out and “knocked on the doors in sleet and cold”.

"I’m just down to check in,” he said, and admitted that as things stand – with just 4,602 votes on count four – “it’s going to be tight”.

"It was always going to come down to the last seat in Wicklow,” he said, but wasn’t about to concede just yet, despite the odds being stacked against him at this stage.

“My first election came down to three days of counting,” he said, with a wry smile. “We knew Simon would take a huge vote, the government vote in the constituency was strong. And when you’re sharing a constituency in a hometown with a Taoiseach, moving from a five-seater to a four-seater, put those two things together and it creates a lot of pressure. So I think we all knew it was going to come down to the final seat.”

5.15pm: Jennifer Whitmore edges ahead of John Brady after fourth count

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly arrived at the Wicklow polling station just in time to hear the results of the fourth count, which involved the redistribution of Kellie McConnell’s1,306 votes.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore has now passed out Deputy John Brady after receiving 666 votes from McConnell’s transfers, bringing her up to 9,239, while Deputy Brady received 296 votes to bring him to 8,950. She’s in line for the second of our four seats.

Little has changed regarding the fight for the fourth seat, but yet again Cllr Edwards Timmins (FG) got a handful more votes than Minister Donnelly. He currently has a lead of 952 votes.

Ciaran Hogan of Aontú was eliminated as the candidate with the least number of votes and his 1,469 votes will now be redistributed among the eleven remaining candidates.

That last count took around one hour, so expecting this next count to take a similar amount of time.

3.55pm: Third count just announced with Kellie McConnell eliminated

No candidate reached the quota on the third count after the votes of four eliminated candidates were redistributed.

Dominic Plant, Charlie Keddy, Michaela Keddy, Sean O’Leary and Phillip O’Dwyer were all eliminated after count two with a total of 870 votes which were redistributed among the remaining candidates.

Deputy John Brady (SF) currently leads the way with 8,654 votes, followed closely behind by Deputy Jennifer Whitmore (SD) on 8,573.

The fourth seat came closer to being secured by Cllr Edward Timmins (FG), who gained five more photos that the Health Minister to come out with 5,538. Stephen Donnelly (FF) is in fifth on 4,592.

People Before Profit’s Kellie McConnell was eliminated on the third count and her 1,306 votes will be redistributed.

Count 3

John Brady (SF) 53 - 8654

Jennifer Whitmore (SD) 28 - 8573

Edward Timmins (FG) 25 - 5538

Stephen Donnelly (FF) 20 - 4592

Shay Cullen (Ind) 47 - 3467

Joe Behan (Ind) 72 - 3210

Steven Matthews (GP) 18 - 2645

Paul O'Brien (LAB) 10 - 2160

Gerry O'Neill (Ind) 75 - 2084

Rob Carry (Ind) 290 - 1922

Ciarán Hogan (AON) 152 - 1447

Kellie McConnell (PBP-S) 22 - 1306 eliminated

3.32pm: Cllr O’Neill wishes fellow west Wicklow candidate Cllr Timmins ‘every success’

Cllr Gerry O’Neill acknowledges that his election chances are over, but he would still like to see fellow west Wicklow man Cllr Edward Timmins elected.

After the second count, Cllr O’Neil currently stands on 2,009 votes, and while his election chances may have evaporated, he still takes heart from the support he received in the west of the county. He only decided to run two weeks before the election date, having topped the poll for Baltinglass Municipal District in June’s local elections.

He said: “It’s disappointing, but I’m pleased with how I did in my own area. I topped the poll in Kilbride, Lacken, Valleymount, and also Hollywood for the first time, so I got a good local vote, but outside of west Wicklow, things just didn’t work out. It was a short campaign, only two-weeks long, but I have to thank everyone who gave me a vote, and I wish all the new TDs the best of luck.”

Cllr Edward Timmins of Fine Gael looks set to contest the final Wicklow seat with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, and Cllr O’Neill is hopeful that west Wicklow will have a local representative once the counts have finished.

“It would be great to have a representative from west Wicklow in Leinster House. I wish him every success as having a local representative in the Dáil would be of benefit to all of west Wicklow,” added Cllr O’Neill.

2.35pm: Fianna Fáil still hopeful that Health Minister can secure fourth and final seat

While Health Minister Stephen Donnelly appears to be in trouble, Fianna Fáil Senator Pat Casey is still hopeful he can secure the fourth and final seat.

The contest for the final seat looks set to be a fight between the Minister and Cllr Edward Timmins (FG) from west Wicklow, and Donnelly currently has 4,572 votes compared to 5,513 for Timmins, with the third count underway.

Speaking about Donnelly’s chances of re-election, Senator Casey said: “I’m still hopeful we will secure the final place. Currently around 1,000 votes separate Stephen and Edward, with around 18,000 votes still to be distributed. There’s only one other candidate still in the running from the west, Cllr Gerry O’Neill, and the rest of the candidates are all from the east of the county so it will be interesting to see if geography plays a role.”

Nationally, Fianna Fáil are the best performing party, and will certainly be part of the government formed in the coming weeks.

Senator Casey said: “It’s been a good election on a national basis, which is why the 6.5pc we achieved in Wicklow is disappointing, but across the country we are the party with the most number one preferences votes and the most seats.”

Meanwhile, the returning officer has gone to lunch, so the wait will continue for the third count. It is predicted the final count will take place late tonight, around 9-10pm, if the current pace (or lack thereof) continues.

1.33pm: Edward Timmins edges past Health Minister Stephen Donnelly after second count

The second count for Wicklow has just been announced after the 5,454 surplus of Taoiseach Simon Harris was redistributed.

The big winner was the Taoiseach’s Fine Gael running partner, Cllr Edward Timmins, who received 2,463 votes from the surplus to bring his total to 5,513, which edges him ahead of Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on 4,572 votes.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore is well positioned for re-election with 8,545 votes, while Deputy John Brady is also on course to retain his seat with 8,601 votes.

No candidate reached the quota on the second count and Dominic Plant, Charlie Keddy, Michaela Keddy, Sean O’Leary and Phillip O’Dwyer have all been eliminated as the lowest candidates and their votes will be redistributed.

Count 2 results (additional votes)

John Brady, Sinn Fein: 8,601 (151)

Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats: 8,545 (846)

Edward Timmins, Fine Gael: 5,513 (2,463)

Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail: 4,572 (1,019)

Shay Cullen, non-party: 3,420 (188)

Joe Behan, non-party 3,138 (229)

Steven Matthews, Green Party: 2,627 (261)

Paul O’Brien, Labour Party: 2,150 (141)

Gerry O’Neill, non-party: 2,009 (46)

Rob Carry, non-party:1,632 (35)

Ciaran Hogan, Aontú: 1,295 (28)

Kellie McConnell, People Before Profit: 1,284 (25)

Phillip O’Dwyer, non-party: 437 (2)

Michaela Keddy, non-party: 250 (8)

Charlie Keddy, non-party: 151 (10)

Dominic Plant, non-party: 23 (2)

Sean O’Leary, non-party: 9 (0)

12.10pm: One man, his dog and a cause

Shane Kuntz is holding a one-man protest outside the Wicklow count centre at Shoreline Leisure Greystones, highlighting the ongoing conflict in Palestine, accompanied by his trusted friend, Buddy the dog.

Shane took up position at the entrance to the Shoreline waving a Palestinian flag at around 11.20am, while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with various slogans calling for Israel to cease bombing Gaza, and his demonstration is attracting plenty of attention from passing motorists and those entering the count centre.

Shane also held his own mini-parade protest back on St Patrick’s Day when himself and Buddy took to the streets just before the Greystones parade.

He said: “I want to raise awareness over what is happening in Gaza and Palestine, especially now as it is coming up to Christmas, when a lot of people’s minds might be elsewhere. What is occurring is just horrendous and I want to show my solidarity with the people of Palestine.

"It’s a quiet, peaceful and respectful demonstration and I’m not affiliated with any political party, but I feel strongly about the conflict and want to do whatever I can do to raise awareness over what is occurring. Buddy always gets a good reception as well.”

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated second count is due before 1pm. Fingers crossed.

9:06am: ‘It’s still all up for grabs’

West Wicklow councillor Edward Timmins was in positive mood on Saturday evening as he celebrated with party colleague Simon Harris, who was re-elected on the first count.

He finds himself in a very close scrap with Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for the fourth seat in this constituency, with the huge surplus from the Taoiseach’s impressive win set to absolutely crucial.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Timmins said: “I’m still very hopeful. There is still a long way to go and a lot of votes yet to count but I’m in with a chance. I’m glad to be in this position and I was up against five sitting TDs so for me to be successful will mean two TDs have to miss out. It’s still all up for grabs.”

Counting has begun to redistribute those 5,454 votes that Mr Harris had leftover. It is believed the lion’s share of these will go to Timmins, Donnelly and Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, a fellow Greystones resident, who is already in line to take the second or third seat in this constituency.

SATURDAY

9.44pm: Taoiseach elected on first count with surplus of 5,454

Taoiseach Simon Harris has been elected at the first count in Wicklow to rapturous applause having amassed an impressive 16,869 first preference votes.

The quota stands at 11,415.

Deputy John Brady of Sinn Fein is also doing well after the first count with 8,450 first preference votes.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore is also on course for re-election having achieved 7,699 first preference votes.

However, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly looks in danger of potentially losing his seat. It looks set for a dog fight for the final seat between Donnelly on 3,553, Cllr Edward Timms on 3,050 first preference votes and non-party Shay Cullen on 3,232.

The count has stopped for the night and recommences at 9am Sunday morning when the Taoiseach’s surplus of 5,454 will be distributed, and are expected to assist his Fine Gael colleague Cllr Timmins.

Deputy Steven Matthews of the Green Party looks likely to lose his seat as things currently stand with 2,366 first preference votes.

8.21pm: Delay to first count

The first count was expected before 8pm, but the new estimated time is closer to 9pm. The hubbub of Taoiseach Simon Harris’s arrival has ebbed, but the Fine Gael team remain in high spirits with running mate Edward Timmins and his family looking forward to sharing in Harris’s election later.

Fellow county councillors Louise Fenelon Gaskin, Melanie Corrigan, Graham Richmond and Aoife Flynn Kennedy are also here, along with some of Harris’s close family.

All that’s left to do is wait...

7.12pm: Taoiseach arrives

Simon Harris is now in the building, arriving to a small cheer from the crowd of supporters, friends and family gathered in anticipation of his re-election later this evening.

6pm: Things looking good for Fine Gael

Cllr Shane Langrell was in optimistic mood as everyone awaits the results of the first count in the Wicklow constituency.

The Fine Gael member canvassed on behalf of both the Taoiseach Simon Harris and his running partner Cllr Edward Timmins. The results of the first count are expected some time between 7.30pm and 8pm tonight, when Harris looks set for election. The tallies placed him top of the poll with a predicted 16,634 first preference votes, with the quota standing at 10,971.

Cllr Langrell said: “We knew Simon was going to do well from the polls, but wow…his first preference tally votes are excellent. It looks like it will be a dog fight for the fourth and final seat between Edward Timmins, Shay Cullen and Stephen Donnelly. We will have to see how it goes, but Edward is most definitely in with a good shot of landing a seat.”

4.54pm: All quiet on the eastern front

It’s the great lull between the final tally and the first count, and it’s been a feature of the day that candidate sightings have been sparse.

Taoiseach Simon Harris is expected to be elected tonight, and though he is engaged elsewhere for the time being, brother Adam, sister Gemma and dad Bart have been keeping a close eye on proceedings here.

3.30pm: Whitmore looks set to retain seat

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore is feeling quietly confident after all tally.

The Social Democrats TD sits in third place, according to the tallies, with a predicted 7,403 first preferences votes, accounting for a 13,6pc share.

She won a Dáil seat at the 2020 general election at the first time of asking and is positioned well to retain that seat, judging from the tallies, with the actual count still underway.

Speaking from the count centre at Shoreline Leisure Greystones, she said: “I’m feeling really good. I’m always a littler anxious until the final bell has rung but things are looking good and I would be hopeful of getting a seat. I got a great and positive reception while out canvassing and knocking on doors.”

'it’s a really positive day for us' - Social Democrats Wicklow candidate Jennifer Whitmore, who looks set to retain her seat

2.30pm: Taoiseach predicted to top poll with huge surplus

With 100pc of the 158 boxes tallied, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge in Wicklow with Taoiseach Simon Harris, on 30.4pc (16,634 votes), likely to be the first who will get over the line when count number one concludes later this evening (some say as early as 8pm).

In second place is Sinn Fein’s John Brady, on 14.6pc (7,985 votes), followed by Jennifer Whitmore for the Social Democrats, on 13.65c (7,403). If, as expected, Simon Harris is elected, the some 5,000 surplus votes he is estimated to be getting could significantly help party colleague Edward Timmins reach for the bubbly, at the expense of Fianna Fáil’s man, but he is not going to get in on the second count.

Some big names could be struggling to retain their seats, including the big shocker, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who is currently languishing at just 6.3pc (3,432 votes).

And in what will be a blow to the first county to declare a climate emergency crisis – the Green’s hope, Steven Matthews, is struggling badly at just 4.1pc (2,266 votes).

While there is still some way to go yet in the Garden County, where there was a very respectable 65pc turnout, it is worth recalling that in the 2020 general election, the tally was just 0.2pc off the mark.

Meanwhile, before the count proper begins, it is worth mentioning some of the independents who have polled strongly, with Shay Cullen, who of course quit Fine Gael when he was overlooked for selection, leading the pack at 5.6pc (3,037 votes), followed by the popular Bray independent councillor, Joe Behan, on 5.2pc (2,831).

Official counting is due to begin shortly and it is thought two counts could be completed before the night is over.

The number of votes needed to be elected, the quota, is expected to be 10,971.

1.30pm: 120 out of 157 boxes tallied

With 73pc of the boxes open for tallies in County Wicklow, Taoiseach Simon Harris is leading the way with a 30.3pc share (11,828).

In second position is Deputy John Brady, Sinn Fein, with 14.6pc share, followed closely by Deputy Jenifer Whitmore, Social Democrats, on 13.5pc.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has moved up into the final seat position with 6.4pc. Cllr Edward Timmins is now in fifth position with a 5.3pc share of the vote, nearly tied with Independents Cllr Joe Behan (5pc) and Shay Cullen (5.2pc).

It is believed the quota will be between 11,000 and 12,000 votes, meaning Harris should be elected on the first count later tonight. Those in the know are predicting that the fourth seat will go to Cllr Timmins, mainly thanks to the surplus from Harris. But it’s just the tallies, the official counting is yet to begin.

12.10pm: At the half-way stage in the tallies, Harris out in front

We are just over the half-way mark with the tallies here in Greystones for the Wicklow count, and out in front is Simon Harris at 30.6pc; John Brady with 14pc; Jennifer Whitmore at 13.5pc; Edward Timmins at 6.6pc; Stephen Donnelly at 6.5pc.

The Green’s Steven Matthews is trailing at just 3.8pc.

Meanwhile, in terms of transfers in the Greystones area, 50pc of Harris’s are expected to go to his Fine Gael running mate, Timmins, with 20pc to Whitmore and 10pc to Donnelly.

The fight for this fourth and final seat is going to come down to the wire – and transfers!

11.10am: ‘Positive’ for Sinn Fein’s John Brady

After just over 31pc of the boxes opened, Sinn Fein’s John Brady – who, incidentally, is the only leading candidate here at present – said it is “positive what we have seen so far”, for him and his party.

“What’s very evident,” he said, “is that Fianna Fáil are probably not polling anywhere near where they had hoped, or the Green Party,” he added, crediting this with Sinn Fein’s “message”, which he said rung true with the voters who “came out to bring about change”.

As things stand, with just over 31pc of boxes opened, Simon Harris (FG) is still well ahead at 27.9pc, with John Brady (SF) following at 15.2pc, Jennifer Whitmore (Soc Dem) at 13.5pc and Edward Timmins (FG) at 7.4pc. Stephen Donnelly (FF) is trailing at 6.5pc.

10.50am Cllr Timmins looks set for seat in Wicklow

Cllr Edward Timmins of Fine Gael is polling well in the tallies for the Wicklow constituency with 6.7pc share of the vote after 22pc of boxes were opened.

Cllr Timmins from west Wicklow is contesting his first general election and his chances look positive, especially as many of the boxes from west Wicklow, where he lives, have yet to be opened for the tally counts. He currently sits in fourth place.

Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly currently sits in seventh position for the four-seater, with independents Shay Cullen and Gerry O’Neill in fifth and sixth.

Fine Gael Cllr Graham Richmond, who canvassed on behalf of Cllr Timmins said: “Edward is doing well and is definitely in the race. Speaking to some Fianna Fáil members, they think there could be a dog fight for that last seat between Edward and Stephen Donnelly.. Even with an overview of the transfers, the majority for Simon Harris are going back to Edward, even in places like Bray."

9.51am Tallies after 15 boxes

With just 15 boxes open, Taoiseach Simon Harris is out in front as the first tallies come in, with 1,173 votes. His running mate, Edward Timmins, has some ground to catch up as he is lagging behind his party leader at just 455. John Brady is at 656, with Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore at 585. For Fianna Fail, even though it is early days, Stephen Donnelly is trailing at just 256 votes, with the Green’s Steven Matthews further behind at 125. Shay Cullen, meanwhile, is at 285. In all, with 10pc of the 157 boxes opened, things are fairly calm here at the count centre in Greystones. Conspicuous by their absence however, are the candidates themselves, with just John Brady the only one spotted hovering around.

9.11am Bookies make three seats clear as ballot boxes open

Ballot boxes are now being opened at the Wicklow constituency count centre in Shoreline Leisure Centre, Greystones, with five sitting TDs, and 13 other candidates, nervously awaiting the first tallies.

There are only four seats up for grabs, with Taoiseach Simon Harris last night odds-on favourite to be among those re-elected, with reports that there was an 80pc voter turnout in Greystones, though he is not favourite to still be Taoiseach.

Sinn Féin TD John Brady, who topped the poll in 2020 to be elected in the first count, and Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore were the bookmakers’ choice for the second and third seats before betting closed.

If the odds are to be believed, today could be very uncomfortable for Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Green TD Steven Matthews as ex-Fine Gael member Shay Cullen, now running as an independent, was as short as 6/5 to take that fourth seat, with Donnelly 1/2 and Matthews as big as 20/1.