Main PointsMary Lou McDonald says it has not been Sinn Féin day in Galway West but says the next general election will be differentThe final estimated turnout when polls closed was 44.3 per cent, compared with 52.27 per cent in the 2024 general electionThere are 17 candidates in Galway West seeking to succeed former Independent TD and now President Catherine Connolly If Fine Gael can win a seat in the byelection it would buck the trend of Government parties faring poorly in byelectionsClick for live coverage of the Dublin Central byelection countKey Reads
Glen Murphy – 31 minutes ago
Watch: Labour ‘proud’ of Ogbu campaign, says Bacik
Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said the party’s Galway West byelection candidate has had a “really strong” showing on the tallies and the party is “pleased and proud” of her campaign.
Bacik, speaking in the Galway count centre in Salthill, said the constituency has a “strong progressive left tradition” with the seat up for grabs previously being held by former president Michael D Higgins and most recently by President Catherine Connolly.
Labour leader talks to Political Correspondent Harry McGee about the party’s candidate’s performance in byelection.
Glen Murphy – 38 minutes ago
First Galway count expected around 3pm
The first count is expected around 3pm in Galway West.
Harry McGee reports: We expect four of the 17 candidates to be eliminated in the first count.
While Thomas is ahead, Kyne is expected to close the gap in succeeding counts even though on early tallies of second preferences, the Sinn Féin candidate Mark Lohan is favouring Thomas.
But then there are other candidates in the field who will transfer more heavily to the Fine Gael candidate.
Counting continues in Galway West. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
Glen Murphy – 56 minutes ago
The full tally for Galway West.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald at the count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill, Galway, on Saturday. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
Thomas and Kyne lead in close Galway race
From Political Correspondent Harry McGee in Galway:
The Galway tally has been completed. It shows that the two leading contenders, Noel Thomas (20.5 per cent) and Seán Kyne (19.8) per cent are very close to each other. It has been a good day for Labour which has had its best result in Galway West since 2011 but a disappointing day for Sinn Féin.
Its candidate Mark Lohan has garnered only 6.5 per cent of the vote. Labour’s Helen Ogbu performed strongly in the city and seems to have captured the Catherine Connolly vote.
McDonald: ‘Pressure is for tyres’
Speaking the media in Galway, McDonald said: “I feel under no pressure whatsoever. Pressure is for tires. If you’re going to lead, if you’re going to lead the opposition … you don’t give way to pressure.”
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald speaks to the press at the count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Video: Chris Maddaloni Not Sinn Féin’s day in Galway West, says McDonald
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has arrived at the Galway West count centre at the Galway Lawn Tennis Club.
She said the next general election would be different for the party but it has not been her party’s day in this byelection.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has arrived at Galway West count centre. Has said it has not been her party’s day here. She said by-elections were peculiar and the general election would be different. She denied that voters were confused about where her party stood. pic.twitter.com/iGRCCAWrLx
— Harry McGee (@harrymcgee) May 23, 2026
Glen Murphy – 2 hours ago
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
The left vote in Galway West is at about 30 per cent, which is down about 7 per cent from the 2024 general election, according to the votes tallied so far.
Part of that is attributable to a good showing for Independent Mike Cubbard, who has definitely taken some Connolly votes in the city, writes Political Correspondent Harry McGee.
As the tally continues it is looking poor for Sinn Féin. Mark Lohan is at about 7 per cent of the vote, according to the latest tallies, and that puts him behind Cillian Keane of Fianna Fáil.
His vote has picked up as the boxes from the rural areas east of Galway City have been counted.
Kathleen Casserley greets Independent councillor Mike Cubbard as he canvasses for votes in the Galway West byelection. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
Galway mayor Mike Cubbard (C) watches counting begin tallies centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times
Fine Gael Senator Seán Kyne being interviewed at the count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
The other two success stories are Helen Ogbu of the Labour Party, who is polling at about 13 per cent at present (with 60 per cent of the boxes open) and mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard, with about 9.5 per cent of the vote.
That will leave both with a clear path to a seat at the next general election. Ogbu seems to have recovered the old Michael D Higgins vote for the Labour Party, which subsequently went to Catherine Connolly.
It’s been a disappointing day for Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan, who is back in the pack. Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane is at about 8 per cent, which is very low for his party, while Míde Ní Fhionnlaoich is at about 7 per cent and could be in the conversation for the next election.
If it comes down to transfers at the heel of the hunt, the lower preferences of Cubbard and the left candidates will be crucial.
Helen Ogbu canvasses Mary O’Sullivan in the Sandyvale Lawn estate in Galway City before the Galway West byelection. Photograph; Andrew Hamilton
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
The first count in Galway West is expected at about 3pm. All 176 boxes have been opened, in addition to one box containing postal votes.
Seán Kyne of Fine Gael and Noel Thomas of Independent Ireland are within one percentage point of each other on the boxes tallied so far.
We are at about 60 per cent of a full tally. Thomas, who is not an Irish speaker, has done spectacularly well in the Gaeltacht area and has come in well ahead of Kyne and of Leitir Mór native Míde Ní Fhionnlaoich of the Social Democrats.
However, Kyne is polling consistently in all areas of the constituency.
Boxes have been opened and counting has begun at the Galway West byelection count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
Close contest between Kyne and Thomas after quarter of votes tallied
With about a quarter of the Galway West votes tallied, it’s a close contest between Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne and Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas, with Kyne slightly ahead.
Thomas is expected to do well in south Connemara though, and may end up in the lead after the first count, Political Correspondent Harry McGee reports.
The extent of that lead will be crucial as Kyne is reckoned to be more transfer-friendly. Helen Ogbu of Labour is the clear front-runner on the left (but remember, many of the votes are city votes).
It will be interesting to see how well the left vote-transfer pact works and whether it brings Ogbu into the frame.
The other big story here is the really strong performances of Independent candidate and mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard, who has about 10 per cent of the vote, according to the tallies.
Again, that performance is on the back of city votes, so his total percentage might fall a little as the day progresses. Still, a very solid performance.
It’s been a poor day so far for Fianna Fáil, with its young candidate Cillian Keane on about 6 per cent of the votes. Again, the votes from his area of Oranmore have yet to be tallied but Fianna Fáil will be well back from the leading contenders.
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
The returning staff reckon a turnout in the mid 40s for Galway West, which is not bad for a byelection, writes Political Correspondent Harry McGee.
The turnout in the north Connemara village of Maigh Cuilinn was insanely high. Two of the leading candidates, Noel Thomas Independent Ireland) and Seán Kyne (Fine Gael), are based there while a third, Independent Thomas Welby, is farther out the road in Oughterard.
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
The Galway West count has been under way since 9am, with counting staff sorting through boxes from the east of the city, in Renmore, Mervue and Ballybane.
We are not expecting a first-count outcome until 6pm, according to Political Correspondent Harry McGee. There are three tallies going on.
The left parties have combined to do a joint tally while Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are doing their own.
Early tallies show Labour’s Helen Ogbu doing very well but this, of course, is her area. The other candidates showing up strongly are Seán Kyne of Fine Gael and Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas, who has done very well in the Mervue boxes.
The Social Democrats candidate Míde Ní Fhionnlaoich is not showing up as strongly but this would not be her area. Mark Lohan of Sinn Féin is doing okay but would expect to do better. At this stage Ogbu is looking to be the leading left candidate but, remember, this is her stronghold.
Counting is in progress at the Galway West byelection count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
Boxes opened in Galway West. First open are Ballybane, Renmore and Mervue in east of city. City candidates like Helen Ogbu doing well. Noel Thomas and Sean Kyne also up there. Thomas has pulled votes in Mervue. #galwaywest @irishtomes pic.twitter.com/DD7saGYpS5
— Harry McGee (@harrymcgee) May 23, 2026
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
Ballot boxes have been opened at Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Salthill, with counting now under way.
Boxes have been opened at the Galway West byelection count centre at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Video: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
Supporters of Cillian Keane wait for the Galway West byelection count centre to open in at the Lawn and Tennis Club in Salthill. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni
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Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
There are 17 candidates in Galway West to succeed former Independent TD and now President Catherine Connolly.
The two perceived front-runners – Senator and former TD Seán Kyne of Fine Gael and Independent Ireland councillor Noel Thomas – campaigned on opposite ends of the constituency: the Wild Atlantic Way and Oranmore, respectively.
Fine Gael winning the seat would buck the trend of Government parties faring poorly in byelections.
It is more than two weeks since The Irish Times/TG4 Ipsos B&A poll that had Kyne in the lead, followed by Thomas, with Labour councillor Helen Ogbu leading the pack of left-wing candidates ahead of Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich of the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan.
On the evidence of the recent opinion polls, Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane appears to be faring better than his party colleague John Stephens in Dublin Central, but both face an uphill battle. Independents in the race in Galway West include mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard.
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago
Good morning – it’s count day in Galway West and Dublin Central.
Out west, the final estimated turnout when polls closed was approximately 44.28 per cent, compared with 52.27 per cent in the 2024 general election.
Voter turnout had risen to 59 per cent in Moycullen but was at its lowest ad 36 per cent in Renmore.
In Clifden 42 per cent of voters cast their ballot, with 50 per cent voting in Spiddal, 47 per cent in Oranmore, 46 per cent in Knocknacarra and 46 per cent in Carraroe.
Some 43 per cent of voters in Claregalway cast their ballot and 39 per cent on the Aran Islands.
Fine Gael’s candidate in the Galway West byelection, Seán Kyne, on the campaign trail on Inis Oírr. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd/The Irish Times