How Mayo voted: All the latest from the Belmullet count
The official counting of votes from the Belmullet Electoral Area commenced at 10.15 a.m. Sunday.
Five hours on and it's as it was with all three sitting councillors re-elected - Paul McNamara, Gerry Coyle and Sean Carey.
Timeline and counts below.
1 p.m. First count is in and Achill's Paul McNamara (Fianna Fáil) has topped the poll, followed by Gerry Coyle (Fine Gael) and Sean Carey (FF). The quota is 1,837, with three seats to be filled.
1.30 p.m.: Second count in - no one elected yet.
2 p.m.: Third count in. Still no one elected. Pat Chambers eliminated.
2.40 p.m.: Two candidates elected on fourth count - Paul McNamara and Gerry Coyle.
3.30 p.m.: Last count in - Sean Carey elected.
FIRST COUNT:
O Conaill, Micheal Boxty (Green Party) 117
Carey, JP (Non Party) 331
Carey, Sean (Fianna Fáil) 1,455
Chambers, Pat (Fine Gael) 1,052
Coyle, Gerry (Fine Gael) 1,519
Dixon-Lally, Rosaleen (Sinn Fein) 1,079
Heneghan, Jay (Non Party) 48
McNamara, Paul (Fianna Fáil) 1,745
Eliminated: O Conaill and Henaghan
SECOND COUNT:
Distribution of O Conaill and Henaghan votes
Carey, JP +37 (368)
Carey, Sean +23 (1,478)
Chambers +5 (1,057)
Coyle +23 (1,542)
Dixon-Lally +48 (1,127)
McNamara +11 (1,756)
(18 votes non-transferable)
Eliminated: Carey (JP)
THIRD COUNT:
Distribution of JP Carey votes
Carey, Sean +65 (1,543)
Chambers +27 (1,084)
Coyle +72 (1,614)
Dixon-Lally +88 (1,215)
McNamara +9 (1,765)
(107 votes non-transferable)
Eliminated: Chambers
FOURTH COUNT:
Distribution of Chambers vote
Carey (S) +100 (1,643)
Coyle +253 (1,867)
Dixon-Lally +174 (1,389)
McNamara +463 (2,228)
Elected: McNamara and Coyle
Fifth count now underway.
SATURDAY'S TALLIES AND REACTION
Latest: With 70% of the ballot boxes opened, tallies show Fine Gael's Gerry Coyle leading with 1,284 first preference votes. Fianna Fáil's Sean Carey is performing well in the three-seat constituency with 1,039 votes, closely followed by his party colleague Paul McNamara with 1,070 votes. Sinn Féin's Rosaleen Dixon Lally has tallied 876 votes, while Fine Gael's Pat Chambers has 740. The Green Party's Micheal O Connaill has received 91 votes, John Paul Carey (IND) has 295, and Jay Heneghan (IND) has garnered 48 first preference votes.
Gerry Coyle (23.4%) 1284, FG
Paul McNamara (19.5%) 1070, FF
Sean Carey (19.9%) 1093, FF
Rosaleen Dixon Lally (16%) 876, SF
Pat Chambers (13.5%) 740, FG
13.50: Tallies indicate a good day for incumbents Paul MacNamara and Gerry Coyle. Sinn Féin’s Rosaleen Dixon Lally and Fianna Fail’s Sean Carey in the contest for the final seat alongside Fine Gael’s Pat Chambers.
13.25: Reports from floor of the count centre are that Paul McNamara, Fianna Fáil, will top the poll.
Sean Carey performing well, as is Pat Chambers. Sinn Féin are still in the fight.
13.00: Tallies are available for four boxes in the Belmullet electoral area. As one would expect Achill's Paul McNamara has taken the bulk of the votes (105) in Valley NS.
In Ballycroy NS first time candidate Pat Chambers tops the poll on 127, McNamara strong with 56 and also Rosaleen Dixon-Lally on 47.
Gerry Coyle strongest in Belderrig with 29, followed by Dixon-Lally on 25 and Sean Carey on 22.
In Shraigh NS, Coyle leads on 57 from Sean Carey on 44.
McNamara tops the poll in Belmullet electoral area
The Belmullet electoral area saw a spread of votes split by an increased ticket of candidates in 2024, but the result looks likely to mirror 2019's poll.
Paul McNamara saw off a challenge from Fine Gael’s Tiernaur candidate, Pat Chambers to top the poll in the Belmullet electoral area The Achill native romped home along with party colleague Sean Carey.
Rosaleen Lally Dixon failed to get the required support in Erris to get elected, a huge blow to Rose Conway Walsh’s brand as she is viewed to have failed to get Lally over the line.
A slight increase in the vote for Paul McNamara of 31 votes according to tallies and an almost quarter share of the vote in the Belmullet ward will come as a boost to the party in Mayo, 1,696 first preference votes he received in 2019 and his tally figures poll 1,727.
Gerry Coyle looks to have lost 400 votes from his buoyant 2019 campaign, but a challenge from John Paul Carey in Bangor Erris failed to damage the long-serving Geesala native.
Incidentally, Coyle was complemented not compromised by former IFA man Pat Chambers in Tiernaur who tallied well in Ballycroy and his native area but couldn’t unseat McNamara’s loyal Achill support despite his connections with the agricultural community on the island.
Sean Carey increased his votes from 2019’s result of 1604, sewing up areas at the end of the Mullet peninsula, a part of the county that has seen swift delivery of tourism infrastructure in Ionad Deirbhle aiming to boost visitor numbers to Blacksod along the Wild Atlantic Way.