Mitchell elected in Dublin as SF poised to take a seat

The Dublin Fine Gael European election candidate Mr Gay Mitchell raised an EU flag over his head as he was carried shoulder high by supporters following his election this evening.

He was joined in his celebrations at the RDS count centre by the party leader Mr Enda Kenny, former minister Mrs Nora Owen and the outgoing Fine Gael Dublin MEP, Ms Mary Banotti.

Interviewed on RTE just after the announcement by the Dublin returning officer, Mr John Fitzpatrick, Mr Mitchell said the reason he polled so well was because his party was seen as the most "pro-European integrationist party". Mr Mitchell received 90,749 first preference votes.

There were 421,897 valid votes in the Dublin resulting in a quota of 84,380. Mr Mitchell's surplus is now being redistributed in the second count.

Fianna Fáil expects to take a seat with Mr Eoin Ryan TD contradicting opinion polls of the last few weeks by outpolling party colleague Dublin City Lord Mayor Royston Brady, whose vote has collapsed. Mr Brady gained just 36,269 first preference votes.

Mr Ryan received 61,681 first preference votes narrowly ahead of Sinn Fein's Ms Mary Lou McDonald who was given over 60,000 first preferences, approximately 15 per cent of the vote.  She looks set to claim the third seat.

The Labour Party's Proinsias De Rossa is still in the hunt for the forth seat after gaining 54,344 first preferences.

Both sitting MEP the Green Party's Ms Patrica McKenna and the second Labour Party candidate, Ms Ivana Bacik, gained just over 40,000 first preferences and are relying on a dramatic swing in the transfers to be elected.