Hayes and Childers elected in Dublin after recount

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan failed to win a seat while Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan topped poll

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has failed to secure a seat in the Dublin European constituency following a recount which saw Independent Nessa Childers and Fine Gael's Brian Hayes elected.

Sinn Fein's Lynn Boylan was deemed elected shortly before midnight on Sunday.

Mr Ryan asked for a recount in the early hours of Monday morning. This took place this afternoon.

Ms Childers’ final tally of votes was 73,598; Mr Hayes had 73,405; Mr Ryan was behind them with 72,256.

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Mr Ryan requested the recount following the seventh count late last night.

Speaking on the RTÉ News at One this afternoon Mr Ryan said he felt it was right to do so given that the count had gone on until 4am.

“The democratic process is important, making sure that votes are absolutely right,” he said.

Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin was the first candidate declared elected shortly before midnight last night at the RDS in Dublin following the third count.

Ms Boylan secured more than 83,000 first preference votes. A large crowd of Sinn Féin supporters cheered the announcement which took place in the RDS in Dublin.

Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil got 44,283 first preferences but was overtaken on the second count by Mr Ryan who secured 44,078 first preference votes.

A total of 35,939 first preferences went to the sitting Independent MEP Nessa Childers followed by Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy with 29,953 votes.

Emer Costello polled poorly with 25,961 votes while People Before Profit's Bríd Smith, got 23,875 first preferences.

Two Direct Democracy Ireland (DDI) candidates, Raymond Whitehead (who received 3,133 votes) and Tom Darcy (with with 4,022 votes) were eliminated after the first count, along with the Fís Nua candidate Damon Wise (1,147 votes) and Independent Jim Tallon (2,244 votes).

People Before Profit’s Bríd Smith was eliminated after the second count while Socialist Party candidate Paul Murphy was eliminated on the next count and his votes transferred to other candidates.

Following the elimination of the Labour Party's Emer Costello, the race for the remaining two seats swung towards Fine Gael's Brian Hayes on 63,591 votes, and the Green Party's Eamon Ryan on 53,179 who pulled away from Fianna Fail's Mary Fitzpatrick.

The seventh count involved the division of Ms Boylan’s surplus of 1,620 votes following the elimination of Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil after the fifth count.

Entering the seventh count, Brian Hayes of Fine Gael was 904 votes ahead of independent Nessa Childers and Mr Ryan was 504 votes behind at which stage Mr Ryan requested a recount which was then scheduled for 2pm today.

Harry McGee

Harry McGee

Harry McGee is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times

Mary Minihan

Mary Minihan

Mary Minihan is Features Editor of The Irish Times