Seán Kelly will be the first MEP elected in the Ireland South constituency in the European elections later.
He’s just over a thousand votes off the quota after 4 counts.
Fianna Fail’s Billy Kelleher is currently second, with independent Mick Wallace in third, followed by Sinn Fein’s Liadh Ni Riada and the Green Party’s Grace O’Sullivan.
Billy Kelleher says it’s hard to take anything for granted at this stage:
Fine Gael look set to take two seats in the Midlands-Northwest constituency.
Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy are on course to retain their seats, while former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh is in pole position to take the final seat.
A dispute over the final two Dublin seats led to the suspension of counting at the RDS last night.
The row centres on which of the two candidates will take up the final so-called “cold storage” seat, which can be only be taken up once Brexit happens.
As it stands, Mairead McGuinness, Ciaran Cuffe and Frances Fitzgerald have all been elected and counting will resume this morning.
