FOR THOSE WHO put their names forward in the Galway West and Dublin Central byelections, the hard work is done, and today they wait. 

We can’t say for sure when exactly we will know the results, but going by previous byelection counts, it should all be wrapped up before the sun goes down.  

Counting in the Galway West byelection to fill the seat of President Catherine Connolly  will get underway at 9am in the Galway Lawn Tennis Club in Salthill. Some 17 candidates are in the running there.

Meanwhile, in Dublin Central, 14 candidates are in the running and counting will also begin at 9am in the RDS to fill former minister Paschal Donohoe’s seat. 

The last byelection we had was in Dublin Bay South in 2021, when Labour’s Ivana Bacik won the seat vacated by former housing minister and Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy. 

It may not be the best comparison, given that it took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, when things would have been slowed down to some degree as a result of social distancing, but nonetheless, it is worth noting that of the 15 candidates who sought the seat, Bacik was deemed formally elected shortly after 9pm that night following the ninth count.  

In that election, we had a final tally of all the boxes (courtesy of Virgin Media’s Gavan Reilly) at around 12.30pm. Worth noting as well that it showed Bacik out on top – so pay attention to the tallies today! 

Prior to 2021, the last byelections we had were in 2019, when voters in four constituencies went to the polls. On that day, all counts were wrapped up before 9pm. 

And just in case you need a refresher on the mechanisms of the count itself and how PR-STV works, you can read this explainer we prepared earlier on the topic. 

Throughout the day, we can expect to hear from the political parties and candidates in the running with activity in both count centres expected to pick up in the early afternoon. 

Stick with us on The Journal where we will be bringing you all the latest on our liveblog, and on social media, across the day.