The last seats were filled in Ireland’s European elections early Friday morning almost a week after polls were opened for voters to elect their 14 MEPs.

The final results leave Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil with four seats each, independents and Sinn Féin on two apiece, alongside one Independent Ireland seat and another outright independent.

Fianna Fáil gained a seat in the Ireland South and Midlands Northwest constituencies, while Fine Gael and the Greens lost a seat each in Ireland South.

Labour and Independent Ireland claimed a seat apiece having held none previously, while the number of outright independents fell.

There are now two Sinn Féin MEPs, up one seat on the last Parliament, but the party lost its Midlands Northwest seat won by Matt Carthy TD and which was held by Chris MacManus after Carthy was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020.

The week’s counts saw five sitting MEPs who contested the election not returned to their seats.

These were Sinn Féin’s Chris MacManus in Midlands Northwest, the Green Party’s Ciaran Cuffe and Independent Clare Daly in Dublin, as well as Green Grace O’Sullivan and Independent Mick Wallace in Ireland South.

Midlands Northwest

The five MEPs elected in the newly enlarged Midlands Northwest constituency were Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen, Fine Gael’s Maria Walsh, Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry and Independent Ireland’s Ciaran Mullooly.

Cowen sat briefly as Minister for Agriculture in 2020 and his election to the European Parliament will trigger a by-election Laois-Offaly if a general election is not called within six months.

Walsh and Flanagan were the only candidates elected to Europe in this constituency who had been sitting MEPs going into the elections.

Former RTÉ broadcaster Ciaran Mullooly claimed the first Independent Ireland seat in the European Parliament. His election comes less than a year after the party was first established by Independent TDs Michael Collins and Richard O’Donoghue.

Ireland South

The five candidates elected by voters in Ireland South were Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly, Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelliher, Independent Michael McNamara, Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion and Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú.

Kelly and Kelliher are incumbents.

Funchion’s election will trigger a Dáil by-election in Carlow–Kilkenny to be held within six months, as Michael McNamara's election to Brussels will in Clare.

Former general secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Eddie Punch ran in this constituency for Independent Ireland but was not elected.

Dublin

Dublin saw Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews, Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty, Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan and Labour’s Aodhan O’Riordain elected.