Trinity panel
Carl O'Brien
Shane Ross and David Norris were on course last night to retain their seats in the Trinity College Dublin panel of the Seanad elections.
While a first count was not completed at the time of going to press, tally results indicated both men secured almost two-thirds of first preferences between them.
Prof Ivana Bacik, meanwhile, looked set to take the last of the three seats with almost a fifth of first-preference votes, based on tally results. She is set to replace Dr Mary Henry, who did not contest the Seanad election.
Prof Bacik's performance represents a major breakthrough after unsuccessfully contesting two previous Seanad elections. She narrowly missed out on a seat in 2002.
Although a member of the Labour Party, she has insisted that she will not take the party whip in the Seanad in order to maintain the traditional independence of Trinity senators. Prof Bacik is the Reid professor of criminal law at Trinity College.
Senator Ross said the significant vote in favour of his candidacy and that of Senator Norris represented a ringing endorsement for independent voices in the Seanad.
"I'm delighted. This vote says, 'keep going, keep rattling Irish political cages for as long as you can and give no quarter to big battalions of big business and party politics'," he said.
Senator Ross's election platform focused mainly on campaigning against the M50 toll bridge, against malpractice in banks and the auctioneering profession, and for better broadband access.
Senator Norris said a key priority for him in the next Seanad would be ensuring civil partnership legislation was enacted, which would provide greater fairness and equality for family units in Irish society.
Dr Maurice Guéret, who was running on a independent platform to represent Trinity on scientific and healthcare matters, appeared to be out of the running. Tally results indicated he secured about 7 per cent of the first-preference vote.
There was also disappointment for Rosaleen McDonagh, who had hoped to become the first Traveller to be elected to the Oireachtas. She graduated from Trinity with a degree in biblical and theological studies and then went on to do an MPhil in ethnic and racial studies.
As well as her work with the National Traveller Women's Forum, she has a disability and is standing on an anti-racism and equality platform.
Seán O'Connor, a great-grandson of Seán Lemass who had the backing of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, failed to make a significant impact. Tally results suggest he attracted about 3 per cent of first-preference votes.
His status as an independent candidate sparked controversy during the Seanad election campaign, when rivals accused Fianna Fáil of launching a "power grab" to secure what are traditionally independent Seanad seats.
Mr O'Connor had insisted that he would not take the Fianna Fáil whip, although he said he would support the Government if it offered a deal which involved reforming the Seanad.
David Hutchinson Edgar, who has served on the national council for the Green Party, also failed to make a major impact.
A lecturer in early Christianity at TCD, he is a member of the executive committee of the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. His campaign had the formal support of the Green Party.
Ike Efobi, a Nigerian-born systems analyst, had been hoping to become the first black man elected to the Seanad. He completed a degree in information systems by night and lives in Celbridge, Co Kildare.
He also polled poorly, tally results suggest.