Main Points
- The Galway West byelection count has concluded with Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne elected following the 11th and final count for the Galway West byelection.
- Main rival Noel Thomas of Independent Ireland was involved with the fuel protests and holds strong views on immigration. That made him an unattractive transferee for left-wing supporters
- Very unusual for a government candidate to win a byelection - this is only the fourth time it has happened in 44 years
- In Dublin Central, Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats was elected in the early hours of Sunday morning
- Labour’s Helen Ogbu was the leading left-wing candidate, taking third place with 5,462 votes
Key Pieces
- Galway West byelection results in full
- As it happened: The first day of Galway West count
- Inside Politics podcast: Winners and losers: What we’ve learned from the byelections
That’s all for today’s live coverage of the byelections. You can find news and analysis elsewhere on the site and app.
To wrap up, here is the Irish Times view on the byelection results.
Who is Seán Kyne?
In the days following the 2024 general election Seán Kyne announced he was quitting politics after failing to take a Dáil seat for the second general election in a row, Cormac McQuinn writes.
Kyne had previously served as a Fine Gael TD between 2011 and 2020 and asked about his decision to leave politics, he told Galway Bay FM “I’ve been retired by the electorate”.
As it happens, Kyne reversed his decision to leave politics within weeks and he later successfully contested the 2025 Seanad election, taking a seat on the cultural and educational panel.
Read about the newest Galway West TD in full here.
Harry McGee reports: Speaking after winning the Galway West byelection, Seán Kyne credited his “positive campaign”.
“I highlighted my experience, which wasn’t made up, it was real.
“I served at Cabinet, I was a former TD, I fought in five general elections. I have 22 years’ experience, and I’ve delivered for the constituency. So that’s what I wanted to accentuate and highlight, and I think people acknowledged that.”
Kyne said there always had been a core Fine Gael vote in the constituency but he was lucky to be able to rely on strong transfers from Fianna Fáil and the left.
“I haven’t been divisive, I’ve worked with people across the entire spectrum of opposition and government. Perhaps that’s some of the explanation.”
He said that he always thought he was “in with a chance”, notwithstanding that he was a Government candidate.
Seán Kyne’s victory in Galway West was built on his experience and his recognition in the constituency, Political Correspondent Harry McGee writes.
A TD and Senator since 2010, he was the only candidate who had a foothold in the two very different geographies of Galway West - the city that dominates it, and the surrounding rural hinterland including the State’s biggest Gaeltacht.
It is so unusual for a Government candidate to win a byelection - this is only the fourth time it has happened in 44 years - but it was built on a simple campaign that emphasised Kyne’s character and his track record.
It was noteworthy that he accentuated the positive, focusing relentlessly on his work in helping get big projects over the line for Galway, including the Dexcom Stadium, the State purchase of the airport for the Aran Islands air service, his work in securing piers, and bypasses including the Galway bypass and Moycullen bypass.
Usually, voters use byelections as instruments to let governments feel the lash of their tongues. And there are many issues that people on the doorsteps in Galway West felt worried about - including the cost of living, housing, childcare, transport and energy costs. But somehow they did not have the expected impact on Kyne.
His vote was a personality one rather than a Fine Gael one. He was helped by a number of factors.
The Sinn Féin threat never materialised and there will be questions asked about its candidate selection. Mark Lohan was impressive on canvass and in debates but it did not translate for the party. Likewise, the Fianna Fáil candidate, Cillian Keane, was largely unknown outside his own area before the campaign.
In addition, his main rival Noel Thomas was involved with the fuel protests and fuel blockades, and holds strong views on immigration. That made him an unattractive transferee for supporters of parties of the left.
That could be shown by the huge transfer of votes from Helen Ogbu of Labour to Kyne in the last count.
And there’s a strong pact evident since 2020 between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, evidence by another mammoth transfer of votes from Keane to Kyne after the young councillor’s elimination.
Fine Gael will take this victory as a huge boost for the party, and reward for its strategy and direction in Government.
Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne wins Galway West byelection
Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne has been elected following the eleventh and final count for the Galway West byelection.
Kyne secured the seat vacated by President Catherine Connolly after receiving 4,249 transfers from Labour’s Helen Ogbu.
It was expected that Ogbu’s transfers would heavily favour Kyne and push him over the line, despite Independent Ireland candidate Noel Thomas leading throughout.
Kyne finished with 19,218 votes and was elected without reaching the quota.
He ended 2,699 votes ahead of Thomas, who finished with 16,519 votes. Some 1,273 of Ogbu’s transfers went to the Independent Ireland candidate.
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to talk about the results of the Dublin Central and Galway West byelections. Listen below.
Winners and losers: What we’ve learned from the byelections
Tallies suggest win for Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne
Harry McGee reports that Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne is receiving transfers at a rate of four to one from Labour’s Helen Ogbu, according to tallies on the last count.
Tallies indicate Kyne will receive 4,300 transfers from Helen Ogbu in the final count, bringing his total to over 19,000 votes. Thomas is set to win about 1,300 bringing his total to about 16,500.
The hall at the Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Salthill has filled to capacity, with local activists for Fine Gael turning out in droves. Like Daniel Ennis in Dublin Central, Kyne is a tall man so lifting him shoulder high will present a logistical challenge.
We are moments away from the final announcement.
Labour’s performance in Galway a testament to ‘what is to come’, candidate says
Labour Party candidate Helen Ogbu has said the support she received proved Galway is a “welcoming place” and a “place where diversity thrives”.
Ogbu was eliminated following the tenth count. She came in third place following the first count with 5,462 first preference votes and finished in third place with 12,960 after transfers.
Speaking after her elimination, Ogbu said she was “overwhelmed”, adding: “It’s all thanks to the people of Galway West for believing in me, for giving me the vote.
“This is actually a testament to what is to come in the next general elections and I’m not going anywhere. This is just the beginning.”
She said the support she received proved Galway “is an inclusive county, is a welcoming place, is a place where diversity thrives”.
Party leader Ivana Bacik said the party was “blown away by the warmth and the enormous support” for the candidate in Galway West.
Harry McGee reports: We are now in the 11th and final count and Seán Kyne has narrowed the cap to 277 votes.
Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich transferred a surprising number of votes to Noel Thomas (552), only 48 less than she transferred to Kyne who got 600.
That was not wholly unexpected. It will leave Fine Gael and Independent Ireland on tenterhooks going into the final count where Ogbu’s 12,960 votes will be distributed.
That said, with only two candidates left, you can expect that Ogbu will transfer more heavily to Kyne. It would be a huge irony if it was the transfers of the left which elected a candidate whose political outlook differs so radically from it.
So, as we said at the start, it’s going to go right down to the wire but we are still predicting what we have since yesterday, that Kyne will be the person who will just squeeze through in the end.
Thomas’s big showing on the Social Democrats candidate transfers is partly attributable to geographical factors. Thomas is the councillor who represents the Gaeltacht area of South Connemara where Nic Fhionnlaoich is from.
Thomas just 277 votes ahead of Kyne following tenth vote
Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas remains in the lead following the tenth count, though he is just 277 votes ahead of Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne.
Thomas received 552 transfers from Social Democrats candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich, while Kyne received 600.
Labour Party’s Helen Ogbu, who received the bulk of Nic Fhionnlaoich’s transfers (3,897) has been eliminated.
Live results can be viewed here.
Fine Gael’s likely victory in Galway West a ‘a victory for centrist politics’, Harris says
Tánaiste Simon Harris has said Seán Kyne’s likely victory in Galway West represented “a moment of growth and renewal for the Fine Gael party” as well as an endorsement of centrist politics, Political Correspondent Harry McGee reports.
Harris said his party was going through significant churn when he took over as leader, with 17 retirements from the Dáil. He said the party had then performed well in the local and European elections in 2024, had elected a significant number of new TDs and senators and was now in a period of renewal.
“Byelections are extraordinarily challenging, and each of them, whether it’s in Dublin or Galway, they take on a kind of, as I say, a rhythm of their own.
“What I take from this is a small sense of encouragement that people will respond to politics that is about trying to deliver solutions, politics that is trying to not be angry or loud or shouty, but actually trying to work hard to deliver.
“If we prevail today, I think that’s a victory for centrist politics. I am very eager as I want to help lead the centre in Irish politics. I want to make sure the centre holds.”
Harris said some people thought it was okay for the Opposition to have a vote left, transfer left strategy, but then criticise the Government parties for doing the same.
Referring to the strong transfers from Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane to Seán Kyne, Harris said: “I think it’s just logical. There are lots of people in the general election who voted for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael…
“While we don’t have formal transfer packs in place, I think it’s just logical if you want to vote for a stable centrist government, particularly now at this early enough point in (its term) and if your candidate of first choice doesn’t get forward, it’s natural that they might pass it on.”
Harris said the party had listened to the concerns of people on the doorsteps in both byelections and would address those concerns, including in October’s budget.
Outlining his priorities, Harris, also the Minister for Finance, said he wanted a child care system that works, that’s affordable and that delivers on the commitments Fine Gael gave in the general election.
Likely Galway West success a ‘moment of growth and renewal’ for Fine Gael, Harris says
Fine Gael leader and Tánaiste Simon Harris has said Seán Kyne’s likely success in the Galway West byelection is a “moment of growth and renewal” for the party.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has arrived at the count centre in Galway.
Kyne closes gap to just 325 votes behind Thomas following ninth count
Results from the ninth count are in and Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne is now just 325 votes behind Independent Ireland candidate Noel Thomas.
Kyne received 2,581 transfers from Fianna Fáil candidate Cillian Keane while Thomas received 797.
Labour’s Helen Ogbu remains in third place, now sitting on 9,063 votes after receiving 563 transfers.
Social Democrats candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich has been eliminated following the ninth count.
Political Correspondent Harry McGee brings us the state of play from Galway West.
He says Seán Kyne is “about to break a little bit of history today”.
Like the sluice gates of a reservoir being opened, the hall has been flooded in the past half hour with a huge torrent of politicians and supporters, Harry McGee writes.
Over half the Fine Gael parliamentary party is here and Tánaiste Simon Harris is expected in the next hour. Labour leader Ivana Bacik is here as is Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats.
There is an excitement in the air as we await the results of the ninth count which will be the decisive moment of the counting process.
Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane is expected to transfer a whopping 2,500 votes to Kyne, closing the gap to about 329 votes.
If that happens, the die will be cast. The final two candidates to be eliminated, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich and Helen Ogbu, will favour Kyne over Noel Thomas.
Labour Party representatives are saying there has been a really strong transfer from the Social Democrats to Labour as well of possibly 3,000 votes. So two voting pacts in strong evidence today - the left alliance but also Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
‘It will be down to the wire’
Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice tells Political Correspondent Harry McGee he believes the contest will be decided by Labour Party candidate Helen Ogbu’s transfers.
Seán Kyne has arrived to applause from Fine Gael colleagues at the count centre.
‘Disconnect’ between people and political system, Independent Ireland leader says
Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins has described a “disconnect between the political system and the people” as his party’s candidate, Noel Thomas, leads in Galway West.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Collins said his party is able to “understand and work with those people that are suffering at this present time, the hardworking men and women that go to work every morning and look at the end of the week at their pay packet and there’s nothing left”.
Thomas is currently leading with 13,897 votes. He is ahead of Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne who has 11,788 votes after the latest transfers.
Labour’s Helen Ogbu now sits on 8,500 votes.
Four candidates left standing following eighth count
We are now down to the final four candidates in Galway West following the eighth count, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
Mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard (an Independent centrist candidate) transferred widely across the political spectrum to the left and right.
The biggest beneficiaries were Helen Ogbu of Labour, who received 1,043 transfers and now sits on 8,500 votes, and Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas who received 950 and now has almost 14,000 votes.
The effect of it has been to widen the gap between himself and Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne. However, not by too much. Kyne recievd 674 transers and is at 11,788, some 2,109 votes behind Thomas.
The candidate to be eliminated is Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane who is expected to transfer heavily to Kyne and significantly reduce the gap between the top two.
It was thought for a while that Ogbu might close the gap on either Kyne or Thomas but she is a little too far behind, She would need to garner all of the Social Democrat’s Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich’s votes.
All of the count results from Galway West can be found here.
Thomas says it looks like Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne might beat him at the post
Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas has told the Connacht Tribune that it looks like he will not make it, despite having a lead of 1,800 votes over Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne at the moment.
“I keep on praying”, he has said but added that “transfers will not go my way”.
Sinn Féin ‘may be at a crossroads with a number of issues’, says Holly Cairns
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has arrived at the count centre for Galway West in Salthill, fresh from the party’s victory in the Dublin Central byelection in the early hours of this morning.
She said the weekend was a huge success for her party.
“I think we’re going from strength to strength. We doubled the number of councillors in the local elections, then we doubled the size of our parliamentary party,” she said.
“Now we’ve just increased the size of the parliamentary party and have made a huge impact in Galway West.”
Cairns said that Galway West candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich had been a massive success in the constituency and would finish fourth. She said the party has doubled its vote share in Galway.
“I think people are really looking for a more positive alternative, and I think crucially people are looking for a type of politics that has the courage of its convictions. We never equivocate on issues,” she added.
Asked about the success of the transfer left pact, and particularly the large transfer that went from Sinn Féin to Independt Ireland’s Noel Thomas, Cairns said that Sinn Féin “may be at a crossroads with a number of issues” but that was an issue for that party to work out.
Asked if the fact that a Government candidate seems poised to take the seat in Galway West might counter her argument that people were looking for an alternative, Cairns said: “I think it is fair to say that name recognition played a very big part in the byelection here in Galway West, and I think you know there was a really strong showing for the left too. I think there’s more potential there to grow.”
More people voted Fine Gael across both constituencies than any other party, says Harris
Tánaiste Simon Harris is expected in Galway West later this afternoon in anticipation of a Fine Gael victory.
Ahead of his visit he has just issued a statement which says that the party could buck the trend as Governments generally don’t tend to win byelections.
“Across the two Dáil constituencies in which there were elections on Friday, more people voted Fine Gael than any other party,” he said.
“I have listened, with colleagues, to people and am more determined than ever to deliver for them on their key issues and hit the ground running.”
Thomas boosted again from transfers; is Fine Gael beginning to feel a bit nervous?
Count seven has just been completed in Galway West and, again, Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas has done well from transfers.
Fine Gael must be beginning to feel a little nervous although they are expecting big transfers in the final counts from Fianna Fáil and the left-leaning candidates, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
There’s an ambivalence about Sinn Féin’s positioning here compared to other left-wing parties. Thomas got the second highest transfer from Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan (just behind Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich from the Social Democrats).
It is related to the fuel protests where Thomas was a prominent campaigner - and must be jotted down as an anti-establishmentarian vote. There were a lot of non-transferable votes from Sinn Féin - 720 in total.
All of the count results from Galway West can be found here.
Noel Thomas extends lead over Kyne in sixth count
The sixth count results have just been announced, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan has been eliminated and, as tallied, Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas extended his lead over Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne by 330 votes.
There is now 1,280 votes separating them. Tally counters expect the gap to increase more with the elimination of Lohan but most of the candidates in subsequent counts will favour Kyne.
Fine Gael are confident the transfers of Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane in particular, plus left-leaning candidates, will close the gap.
All of the count results from Galway West can be found here.
Noel Thomas benefits from transfers in count five
Count five in Galway saw the distribution of the votes of two very different candidates, Orla Nugent of Aontú and Independent Sheila Garrity.
The transfers split in two different ways. Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas was the chief beneficiary of Nugent’s transfers, picking up 578 votes.
Garrity was the campaign manager for Catherine Connolly’s presidential election and ran a left-wing campaign, which focused on Gaza, Palestine, neutrality, the triple lock and, a favourite phrase of Connolly’s - ‘the military industrial complex’.
The bulk of her votes were shared between Helen Ogbu of Labour and Míde Ní Fhionnlaoich of the Social Democrats.
There is a gap of 1,000 between Thomas and Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne now but that is expected to close in later counts.
The Independent candidate Thomas Welby has now been eliminated and his transfers will be intriguing.
He is from Oughterard, which is the next town in north Connemara from Maigh Cuilinn where Kyne and Thomas are based.
Thomas is originally from Killanin which is the parish in between the two towns and is expected to benefit slightly more from Welby’s transfers. That means the gap will increase.
It will leave Kyne very dependent on the transfers of the remaining candidates, particularly Cillian Keane of Fianna Fáil and the left-leaning candidates.
The transfers of Independent Mike Cubbard, the mayor of Galway, will be interesting as he is a centrist candidate and there is not much intel on the destination of his transfers. A cliffhanger is in store.
Results of all the counts so far in the Galway West byelection can be found here.
It is a beautiful, sunny day in Galway West where count five of the byelection is now underway with a final result expected sometime this evening, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
The transfers of the eliminated Green Niall Murphy in count four were very interesting as Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne received over 200 compared to just 20 for Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas.
If that trend is repeated by the other two centre left candidates, it will favour the Fine Gael candidate over his Independent Ireland rival.
However, it is said that the votes of Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan are favouring Thomas.
The Independent Tom Welby comes from the same neck of the wood as the two lead candidates and his transfers seem to be slightly going more to Thomas.
There’s a gap of around 600 at the moment and that will definitely close. It will be interesting to see if Thomas can stave off the threat as the counts progress.
Counting underway in Galway
The counting of votes has resumed in the Galway West byelection. The fifth count has just gotten underway with the distribution of Independent Sheila Garrity and Aontú’s Orla Nugent’s votes.
Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas currently has a 590 vote advantage over his nearest challenger Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne. A breakdown of the count results so far can be found here.
Party determined to run candidate in every constituency at next general election, says Holly Cairns
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has said the election of Daniel Ennis shows that people who want an alternative to the Government are “increasingly choosing the Social Democrats”.
“Key to that is that people know where they stand with the Social Democrats,” she said.
“They know the positive vision we have for this country, and they are voting for that.”
She also commended the party’s candidate in Galway West, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich, “who has nearly doubled the party’s first preference vote share in that constituency”.
Cairns added: “When I first stepped into the role of leader of the Social Democrats, I said I was unashamedly ambitious for the future of this party.
“Since then, as we have gone from election to election, the party has gone strength to strength.
“I am determined to continue to build on the huge momentum we are seeing in the Social Democrats and run a candidate in every constituency in the next general election.”
After almost 16 hours of counting at the RDS, Daniel Ennis was elected without reaching the quota on the ninth count with a final vote of 12,050.
Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan came second in party leader Mary Lou McDonald’s home constituency, with a final vote of 7,787.
The Green Party’s Janet Horner was the third placed candidate with 5,452, having been eliminated after eight counts, while veteran criminal Gerard Hutch came in fourth position, eliminated after the seventh count with a final vote of 4,466.
Ennis was first elected for North East Inner City in the local elections of 2024.
Enda O’Dowd captured the moment he was officially elected in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Who is Dublin Central’s newest TD?
Who is Daniel Ennis, the newly elected TD for Dublin Central? Marie O’Halloran has a profile here on the former League of Ireland footballer.
Good morning. While Social Democrat Daniel Ennis was elected as Dublin Central’s newest TD in the early hours of Sunday morning, the battle for Galway West continues.
Counting at the Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Salthill is due to resume at around 9am.
Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas had a 784 vote advantage over his nearest challenger Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne on Saturday evening, but both men are well short of the quota.
The fourth count involved the elimination of the Green Party’s Niall Murphy and Kyne closed the gap to 590. Kyne received 214 transfers from Murphy.
Labour’s Helen Ogbu received almost 400 votes to bring her total to almost 6,000.
It will be an interesting day; there are three left wing candidates - Sheila Garrity (Ind), Sinn Féin’s Mark Lohan and the Social Democrats Míde Nic Fionnlaoich - to be eliminated which should boost Ogbu though unlikely to be enough to get her elected.
The popular Independent Mike Cubbard’s transfers may also favour his fellow city councillor Ogbu.
The critical transfers are likely to be those of Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane.
If his votes go, as expected, heavily to Seán Kyne, Fine Gael will win the seat, but Thomas is ex-Fianna Fáil so it mightn’t be that straightforward.
