LAST UPDATE | 21 mins ago

The results of the fifth count in Galway West. The Journal Results Centre The Journal Results Centre

INDEPENDENT IRELAND CANDIDATE Noel Thomas holds a narrow lead over Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne in the Galway West byelection, for which counting has resumed this morning.

Around 45,000 voters went to the polls in the vast constituency, and counting could continue for several hours today at the Lawn Tennis Club Salthill

The early hours of this morning saw Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats take the seat in Dublin Central left vacant by former finance minister Paschal Donohoe, but it’s still all to play for in President Catherine Connolly’s former seat in Galway West.

After five counts, Thomas is leading the race with 11,075 votes, about 1,100 more than Kyne, who currently has 10,126 votes.

Labour’s Helen Ogbu is further back in third with 6,545 votes.

Of the 16 original candidates in the byelection, 10 remain.

Independent candidates Néill Bairéad, Michael Ryan, John O’Leary, Patrick Feeney, AJ Cahill and Sheila Garrity were eliminated, as well as People Before Profit’s Denman Rooke, Niall Murphy of the Green Party and Orla Nugent of Aontú.

From the first count, which was announced around 6.30pm yesterday, Thomas and Kyne came out on top.

Speaking to The Journal before the first count was done, Thomas predicted correctly that he and Kyne would be “neck and neck”.

He said today that he feels it has come down to “recognition”, pointing to the fact that himself and Kyne are both long-standing politicians.

Kyne is in fact a former Fine Gael TD and Senator, with Thomas himself a former Fianna Fáil and now Independent Ireland councillor.

With reporting by Eoghan Dalton