Polls close in Donegal byelection

Polls have closed in the Donegal South byelection to fill the vacancy left by the election to the European Parliament of Fianna Fáil TD Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher.

Some 60,829 electors were eligible to vote today. Polling stations throughout the sprawling coastal constituency opened at 7am and were due to close at 10pm. Island voters went to the polls on Monday on Arranmore, Tory and other, smaller islands.

Early indications were that turnout was relatively low at between 30 and 40 per cent at most polling stations - well down on the 66 per cent turnout in the 2007 general election.

Counting begins at 9am tomorrow in the Finn Valley Athletic Club, Stranorlar, and the final result is not expected until the evening.

Although Independent Ann Sweeney withdrew from the race, her name remained on the ballot paper along with those of the other five candidates.

Traditionally one of Fianna Fáil’s greatest strongholds, the party got two TDs elected in the constituency in 2007, Deputies Mary Coughlan, now Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, and Deputy Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher.

The election of Mr Gallagher to the European Parliament last year created the current vacancy and Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill from Gortahork is the Fianna Fáil candidate.

The seat remained vacant for 17 months until the successful High Court challenge by Sinn Féin candidate Senator Pearse Doherty forced the Government to move the writ.

A local newspaper, the Donegal Times, this week published figures based on its own estimates showing that Mr Doherty would win the seat, aided by transfers from other candidates. This is now a fairly general expectation, despite an energetic campaign by Fianna Fáil's Ó Domhnaill.

There is some scepticism about the same paper’s prediction that Fine Gael’s Cllr Barry O’Neill will get the highest number of first preferences. An opinion poll published last week showed him in third place and only one point ahead of the high-profile Labour contender, Cllr Frank McBrearty.

Labour secured less than 3 per cent in the last general election, compared to 23 per cent for Fine Gael, but the Paddy Power/RedC poll suggested McBrearty could even end up in front this time.

The poll also gave figures for the coming general election: Doherty (SF) 31 per cent; McBrearty (Lab) 18 per cent; Dinny McGinley (sitting FG TD) 13 per cent; O’Neill (FG) 12 per cent; Coughlan (FF) 10 per cent; O Domhnaill (FF) 9 per cent; Thomas Pringle (Ind.) 6 per cent.

If reflected in the ballot box early next year, this would have the Tánaiste fighting for her political life. She had to pull out of an official function in the constituency last Monday to attend the meeting of Fianna Fáil Ministers arranged in the wake of the Green Party’s announcement of its impending withdrawal from Government.

Ms Coughlan was due to launch the new Emergency Call Answering Service in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, but the political emergency in Dublin claimed her attention instead.