Maria Byrne has been elected to Seanad Éireann.

The Limerick woman won the seat from the agricultural panel vacated by Fine Gael colleague Michael D’Arcy last year.

Despite having no clear links to farming, she was first elected to the Seanad in 2016, serving as education and skills spokesperson until 2020.

She defeated Armagh farmer and former UFU president Ian Marshall, who stood as an Independent candidate, by 118 votes to 69, with Labour’s Angela Feeney receiving 15 votes.