Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly has been re-elected to the European Parliament from the Ireland South constituency on the ninth count.

Kelly joins yesterday’s successful candidates – Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness, elected on the first count in Midlands North-West, her party colleague Francis FitzGerald in Dublin and Dublin poll-topper Green Party candidate Ciaran Cuffe.

Ireland South

Kelly secured the first of five seats in Ireland South with 119,883 votes, passing the quota of 119,866.

Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil leads the rest of the field followed by Independents TD Mick Wallace and Liadh Ní Riada of Sinn Féin.

The fifth and final seat looks to be between Green Party candidate Senator Grace O’Sullivan and sitting Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune. Current Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle lies around 24,000 votes behind Clune and looks unlikely to secure a seat.

Midlands North-West

Counting continues in the other massive constituency, with outgoing MEP and member of the agricultural committee in the EU Parliament Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan leading the race for the second seat.

He is followed by Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy who also sat on the agricultural committee in the previous parliament. Both look set to secure seats.

The battle for the fourth and final seat is likely to come down to Fine Gael’s first time candidate and former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh and previous presidential candidate Peter Casey. Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh could also possibly be in the hunt.

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