We’re live from The Falls Hotel bringing you the latest updates on #GE2020 in Clare, fifteen candidates are battling it out to represent Clare in the thirty third Dáil.
For fair, balanced and informed coverage, stay tuned to The Clare Echo across the day. We’ll be updating this blog throughout the day as well as our social media channels, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action.
Get in touch with us on the above social channels and we’ll do our best to get back to you!
16:50 – We couldn’t think of a better way of signing off than a picture with Returning Officer, Patrick Wallace. Till next time, take care!
16:47 – Our social channels soared in activity too. If you haven’t you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We’re even on LinkedIn for the professional networkers!
16:45 – Over 116,000 users joined us here on the live blog over the course of the two day count at The Falls Hotel, from all over the world. Thanks to you all for tuning in, for the feedback and for informing us of various typos.
16:41 – Brief report on how it went in Clare, click HERE
16:33 – “Never underestimate the Careys,” – Joe Carey (FG) tells The Clare Echo.
16:20 – “Controversial, cutting edge and fresh”, some of the words being used to described the haircuts of The Clare Echo‘s staff.
16:18 – “A political earthquake” and “seismic”, some of the words being used to describe the General Election in Clare.
15:34 – Michael McNamara (IND) & Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) elected having reached the quota. Cathal Crowe (FF) and Joe Carey (FG) don’t reach the quota but are elected. Timmy Dooley (FF) eliminated.
15:33 -TENTH COUNT
QUOTA:11,900
McNamara Michael (IND) 12,205 (+2092)
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 11,903 (+1612)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 11,471 (+812)
Carey Joe (FG) 11,345 (+1152)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 10,630 (+687)
Non-Transferable – 984
15:28 – Returning Officer, Patrick Wallace is sitting down. Possibly the most watched man in the county right now.
15:26 – Tenth count due very shortly.
15:23 – Sinn Féin have brought the tricolour with them..
15:20 – Clare Fine Gael Chairman, Sean Chambers has landed. Timing it well, it appears.
15:16 – “We’re open to talk to anyone” – Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) on the party entering coalition.
15:10 – #seatwatch Wallace is sitting down after taking a swig of water. Looks like Clare Springs but we can’t confirm from here
15:08 – Some people gathering close to Crowe and Wynne. Not sure is it because their supporters or because they want to be on THE TELLY
15:07 – Wallace is back in the Count Centre.
15:05 – Falls is packing up. Clare Echo blog is brimming with eager eyes!
15:02 – Photographers are gathering around Violet-Anne Wynne (SF). As are RTÉ and Virgin Media TV.
15:00 – He got up to go for a walk it turns out.
14:59 – WALLACE IS ON HIS FEET.
14:57 – Seats at The Clare Echo’s station now in scarce supply… They’re being taken left and right. Of course the four seats for our TDs are the most important issue of the day.
14:49 – The brewing of beer at Western Herd Brewing has been paused until The Clare Echo has details of the tenth count!
14:49 – Sinn Féin are smiling…
14:47 – “I’ve a sick note if it goes to a recount” – photographer Joe Buckley has the excuses ready!!
14:42 – HUGE anticipation in The Falls.
14:41 – Patrick Wallace is sitting down at the laptop and talking.
14:40 – Niall O’Connor (@nialloc90) says it will be 3pm by the time we have the tenth count
14:35 – Votes still being distributed.
14:33 – “Not going to work out”, Timmy Dooley says to supporters while walking past The Clare Echo #GE2020
14:31 – Is it too much to quote George Hamilton and say “a nation holds its breath” as Clare is the only constituency in Ireland yet to elect a TD?? Possible that all four will be elected en bloc #GE2020
14:30 – Falls filling up again as we wait for the tenth count..
14:28 – Talking to some FG insiders, they think Clare’s four TDs after the next count will be –
Crowe (FF)
Wynne (SF)
McNamara (IND)
Carey (FG) #GE2020
14:19 – All five campaign teams for each candidate are very nervous, understandably.
14:16 – No sign of Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) or Michael McNamara (IND) in the count centre at this time.
14:15 – Timmy Dooley (FF) expects we will have news on the tenth count fairly soon
14:00 – So many possible permutations from Garvey’s transfer. Any of the five candidates can get in. Any of the five could lose out.
13:56 – Garvey’s transfers are said to be going everywhere.
13:54 – We’re told it will be an hour and ten minutes until the next count. “They have a very loose relationship with the clock,” remarks political follower.
13:49 – “Very likely” that we will have a recount is the assessment of our Editor Stuart Holly #GE2020.
13:45 – “It’s fascinating alright, I think it will be a Green Fianna Fáil vote and a Green Sinn Féin vote”, James Breen tells The Clare Echo.
13:38 – Five candidates left in the race for four seats. Roisin Garvey’s transfers will decide the outcome.
13:30 – 7,339 votes belonging to Cllr Garvey (GP) to be distributed. Quota is 11,900. Crowe Cathal (FF) 10,659 Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 10,291 Carey Joe (FG) 10,193 McNamara Michael (IND) 10,113 Dooley Timmy (FF) 9,943
13:20 – “Will we get a seat, I don’t know” – Sinn Féin’s Tommy Guilfoyle. We ask will the Roisin Garvey transfer not be enough for Wynne (SF). “That’s a Green Fianna Fáil vote, I don’t know will it be enough”
13:14 – “It’s squeaky bum time”, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) on what way #GE2020 will pan out in Clare.
13:10 – Roisin Garvey (GP) eliminated.
13:00 – NINTH COUNT
QUOTA:11,900
Crowe Cathal (FF) 10,659 (+544)
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 10,291 (+209)
Carey Joe (FG) 10,193 (+3,524)
McNamara Michael (IND) 10,113 (+733)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 9,943 (+693)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 7,339 (+380)
Non-Transferable – 318
Non-Transferable – 318
12:55 – “It’s between Dooley and Carey for the final seat” is the prediction from Cllr Pat Daly (FF).
12:54 – 2,863 is the estimate from FG on how many transfers Joe Carey will get from Pat Breen.
12:48 – Candidate watch, Cathal Crowe, Timmy Dooley, Pat Breen, Martin Conway, Trudy Leyden all in The Falls.
12:46 – Political columnist with The Clare Echo, Eoin Neylon has said “This election has been nothing short of a disaster for Fianna Fáil. Very hard to see how Martin remains on as leader. A change has to be made, if not in the short term, certainly the medium term”.
12:43 – Interesting stat: The average time spent on our @ClareEcho live blog’s page per visit has been a 07:14 (way above average). So far almost 90,000 page views.
12:30 – Pat Breen’s two sons Patrick and Kenneth say they are proud of the 18 years he put in as a Clare representative.
12:24 – Distribution of Breen’s votes ongoing and will be for at least another fifteen minutes.
12:20 – Conway confirms to The Clare Echo he will be contesting future General Elections and is keen to hold onto his seat in Seanad Éireann.
12:19 – “A seismic change,” Martin Conway (FG) says of the vote Violet-Anne Wynne received in Co Clare as he compares her 385 first preferences with her 8,987 she received this weekend.
12:07 – Michael Neylon, father of @ClareEcho political writer @eoinneylon, says it’s “a hop of the ball” on who will grab the fourth seat in Clare. Adds that the people have spoken and @sinnfeinireland must be part of any Government coalition.
12:02 – Can Crowe get just shy of 2,000 votes from Breen to top the poll? Send your thoughts to us @thepmanofficial / @ClareEcho.
12:00 – You would presume that Joe Carey (FG) needs to get at least 3,000 from Pat Breen to stay in the hunt. Fianna Fáil duo Cathal Crowe and Timmy Dooley got a combined 2,444 from Rita McInerney.
11:58 – “To say it is addictive is an understatement,” one Fianna Fáil member tells The Clare Echo.
11:57 – Cathal Crowe (FF) has gone to the head of the poll for the first time.
11:54 – Junior Minister Pat Breen (FG) has been eliminated.
11:53 – EIGHTH COUNT
QUOTA:11,900
Crowe Cathal (FF) 10,115 (+1281)
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 10,082 (+193)
McNamara Michael (IND) 9380 (+845)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 9250 (+1163)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 6959 (+333)
Carey Joe (FG) 6669 (+184)
Breen Pat (FG) 6401 (+414)
Non-Transferable – 193
11:49 – Council management such as Chief Executive Pat Dowling, Director of Economic Development Liam Conneally and Head of Finance Noeleen Fitzgerald have returned to The Falls.
11:47 – Crowd beginning to fill back into The Falls.
11:43 – We brought stacks of this week’s paper to The Falls Hotel for #GE2020, down to just two papers now! Our team back in Ennis are busily working on our next edition (out Thursday).
11:41 – Possible that some candidates will be elected without reaching the quota in Clare. The expected elimination of Roisin Garvey (GP) may result in a Green Wave electing either Michael McNamara (IND) or Violet Anne-Wynne (SF).
11:38 – Wide range of age demographics here at the Count Centre. Some missing college & primary school, others have the day booked off from work and also a strong section of retirees.
11:34 – McInerney’s distribution still being sorted.
11:31 – Having not received enough transfers to bypass running mate Joe Carey, Pat Breen (FG) looks set to be eliminated on the next count.
11:29 – Timmy Dooley (FF) admits that the party are likely to only win one seat and that will go to Cathal Crowe (FF). Thinks the transfers from Roisin Garvey (GP) will benefit Michael McNamara (IND) & Violet-Anne Wynne (SF). “We’re in the same area, we tried to make it work but that’s politics” he says of cote management with Cathal Crowe (FF).
11:21 – No indication as of yet when we will have the eighth count.
11:17 – “This beats the shit out of transfer deadline day” one of the texts just landed into us!
11:15 – To the thousands following our live blog, what do you make of election counts being on a Sunday and Monday? Tweet us @thepmanofficial / @ClareEcho with your thoughts.
11:11 – Clare is the only constituency in Ireland not to have elected a TD at this stage.
11:10 – Inside info we’ve received is that officials hope the Clare count will be concluded by this afternoon.
11:06 – “Doonbeg is very divided, there is a strong Fine Gael vote there too,” one observer of the transfers tells The Clare Echo. Distribution from Rita’s vote will be very intriguing.
11:03 – Fianna Fáil would need Rita McInerney’s transfers to push Crowe in front and hope that he collects enough transfers to be elected soon which would then greatly aid Dooley.
11:01 – Quota is 11,900 in Clare. Wynne (9889) and Crowe (8834) the nearest to it.
10:59 – Stuart Holly is on his travels, from what he has studied, Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) is picking up very little transfers from Rita McInerney (FF). However, should Roisin Garvey (GP) be eliminated, it will be a big help to Wynne.
10:54 – “It’s looking dodgy”, one Fianna Fáil stalwart admits to The Clare Echo of them winning two seats in Clare.
10:51 – One shrewd politico has made a prediction to The Clare Echo that the four Clare TDs elected will be:
Cathal Crowe (FF)
Michael McNamara (IND)
Violet-Anne Wynne (SF)
Joe Carey (FG)
10:47 – Rita McInerney (FF) eliminated.
10:46 – SEVENTH COUNT
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 9889 (+82)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8834 (+193)
McNamara Michael (IND) 8535 (+366)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 8087 (+181)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 6626 (+289)
Carey Joe (FG) 6485 (+671)
Breen Pat (FG) 5987 (+409)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4606 (+166)
10:36 – Timmy Dooley (FF) expressing the view that it appears he will lose his seat #GE2020. Martin Conway’s distribution currently being complied with another FG transfer expected before the end of the day.
10:32 – “It’s the sixth count and nobody knows what way is going to go,” one spectator believes Clare is one of the more interesting constituencies in the country.
10:29 – Former local election candidate, George Atijohn has predicted it’s too late for Pat Breen
10:26 – Next count will be a significant one for Fine Gael. Likely that it will unveil if Junior Minister Pat Breen (FG) will be in the mix for the final seat or not.
10:24 – Patrick Wallace is back at the laptop #seatwatch
10:22 – Finishing off our update on transfers, Rita McInerney (FF) has 304 collected.
10:18 – Clare is one of only two constituencies with no seats filled. The other is Galway West.
10:17 – The second most transfer candidate is Roisin Garvey (GP) with 713 got so far.
10:15 – Timmy Dooley (FF) has currently gained 143 transfers.
10:13 – First time candidate, Cathal Crowe (FF) with 286 transfers in the bag.
10:12 – 130 transfers obtained by Joe Carey (FG) as of yet.
10:11 – Pat Breen (FG) has 172 transfers to date.
10:10 – Michael McNamara (IND) has 830 transfers picked up so far.
10:08 – Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) has collected 820 in transfers to date.
10:06 – Quick observation from @Stuart_Holly is that Joe Carey will gain more than Pat Breen from Martin Conway’s transfers #GE2020
09:59 – Young and old in the Count Centre. A few pupils being marked ‘as lathair’ from primary schools in the county.
09:55 – Michael McNamara (IND) leaps past Timmy Dooley (FF) following Joseph Woulfe’s distribution. Both McNamara and Woulfe have been very vocal in calling for the need to address the beef crisis.
09:53 – SIXTH COUNT
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 9807 (+208)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8641 (+100)
McNamara Michael (IND) 8169 (+467)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7906 (+80)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 6337 (+124)
Carey Joe (FG) 5814 (+43)
Breen Pat (FG) 5578 (+84)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4440 (+190)
Conway Martin (FG) 2424 (+84)
Non-Transferable – 124
09:48 – Patrick Wallace is on his feet.
09:46 – Here’s the difference in the first preference party vote in Clare compared with GE16.
Fine Gael: -1,332
Fianna Fáil: +2,674
Sinn Féin: +4771
Greens: +3924
09:41 – McNamara now running as an Independent. Was a Labour TD at the time of 2016 election.
09:40 – Of candidates that stood in the last election, here’s how their vote changed. Pat Breen (-1177), Joe Carey (-387), Timmy Dooley (-2452), Michael McNamara (+2860).
09:32 – James Breen is back in situ at The Falls studying the possible permutations.
09:20 – We’re without @nialloc90 for the start of the day. He’s busy collecting ads for Thursday’s paper, if you’d like to advertise with us / niall@clareecho.ie / 0876715568
09:11 – Transfers of Joseph Woulfe’s vote being sorted as we type. As soon as we have details, we’ll post them.
09:08 – Sinn Féin’s Tommy Guilfoyle and Donna McGettigan have returned to the count centre. They’re hopeful history will be made for their party in Clare.
09:06 – Awful feedback from the microphones as a sound check is carried out.. Just on cue, it marks the arrival of our Editor Stuart Holly!
09:02 – Martin Conway’s transfers unlikely to be sufficient to help Fine Gael retain either of their two seats according to one tally woman in The Falls.
08:59 – We’re joined on photography duty by Joe Buckley today! Many thanks to John Mangan for all his quality photographs yesterday, more of which you will see throughout the week and in Thursday’s paper.
08:56 – Roads are safe to come through at Inagh, no floods in place according to drivers who have travelled the route this morning.
08:52 – Returning Officer Patrick Wallace has returned to the Count Centre.
08:50 – Clonmoney Tally:
Barrett David (IND) 4
Breen Pat (FG) 53
Carey Joe (FG) 74
Conway Martin (FG) 3
Crowe Cathal (FF) 101
Dooley Timmy (FF) 51
Garvey Roisin (GP) 37
Leahy Michael (IFP) 6
Leyden Trudy (IND) 4
McInerney Rita (FF) 15
McNamara Michael (IND) 31
O’Brien Conor (REN) 5
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 8
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 62
08:46 – Count staff returning to the Falls.
08:44 – Kilnamona Tally:
Barrett David (IND) 0
Breen Pat (FG) 22
Carey Joe (FG) 22
Conway Martin (FG) 14
Crowe Cathal (FF) 30
Dooley Timmy (FF) 68
Garvey Roisin (GP) 54
Leahy Michael (IFP) 0
Leyden Trudy (IND) 1
McInerney Rita (FF) 12
McNamara Michael (IND) 34
O’Brien Conor (REN) 0
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 3
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 5
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 32
08:36 – INCH TALLY:
Barrett David (IND) 0
Breen Pat (FG) 15
Carey Joe (FG) 30
Conway Martin (FG) 6
Crowe Cathal (FF) 19
Dooley Timmy (FF) 41
Garvey Roisin (GP) 14
Leahy Michael (IFP) 6
Leyden Trudy (IND) 1
McInerney Rita (FF) 13
McNamara Michael (IND) 33
O’Brien Conor (REN) 0
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 4
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 5
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 39
08:27 – Sixth count is due at 09:00.
08:25 – Good morning and welcome back to The Falls Hotel. Our live blog back and raring to go as we go into day two of the General Election count in Clare.
00:00 – Count centre needs to be locked overnight so we better clock off for a few hours. Thanks for following so far. Strong team effort from Niall, Stuart, Shane, Ger, Maria, Cian, Elaine & PMc that have brought comprehensive election coverage in the lead up to and including today!
23:55 – A very productive day put down for The Clare Echo. Stacks of Thursday’s paper in high demand at The Falls plus our live blog has been viewed all over the world.
23:53 – Joseph Woulfe (IND) tells The Clare Echo he is hopeful Michael McNamara (IND) will benefit most from his transfers and end up winning a seat in Dáil Éireann as the count progresses.
23:33 – Returning Officer, Patrick Wallace has adjourned the count until tomorrow morning 09:00.
23:30 – Huge additions there for Wynne (+457), Garvey (+453) & McNamara (+114).
23:29 –
FIFTH COUNT
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 9599 (+457)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8541 (+33)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7826 (+21)
McNamara Michael (IND) 7702 (+114)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 6213 (+435)
Carey Joe (FG) 5771 (+26)
Breen Pat (FG) 5494 (+16)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4250 (+17)
Conway Martin (FG) 2340 (+18)
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1504 (+102)
Non-Transferable – 47
23:24 – Returning Officer, Patrick Wallace is up… Turns out it’s just to answer the phone.
23:21 – Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) is back.
23:19 – One more count before a recess of a few hours.
23:15 – Spare a thought for our Sales Director Ger Naughton, Storm Ciara has disrupted her travel plans. Hope she has the phone charged to follow the blog while she waits
23:09 – Timmy Dooley (FF) & Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) have both retired for the night. They’ll be vying to be elected to the thirty third Dáil tomorrow.
23:05 – “We’re not very transfer friendly this time,” a Fine Gael source laments when in conversation with The Clare Echo.
22:56 – Fifth count will be the final one of the night. After that, the count will resume at 9am.
22:55 – Theresa O’Donohoe (PBP) eliminated.
22:53 – FOURTH COUNT:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 9142 (+79)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8508 (+106)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7805 (+22)
McNamara Michael (IND) 7588 (+123)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5778 (+43)
Carey Joe (FG) 5745 (+24)
Breen Pat (FG) 5478 (+24)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4233 (+54)
Conway Martin (FG) 2322 (+12)
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1402 (+117)
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1286 (+32)
Non-Transferable – 171
22:48 – Possible that we will only have one more count tonight before resuming in the morning. To be confirmed.
22:47 – “She’s picking up votes in every box in the county”, said ex Cllr Oliver Garry (FG) of Violet-Anne Wynne’s performance.
22:43 – “It’s a rough sport, you can’t call it,” Geraldine Gregan of Fine Gael tells The Clare Echo.
22:40 – Confirmation to The Clare Echo that Pat Breen (FG) & Joe Carey (FG) will not be in the count centre tonight
22:37 – “It’s starting to look like Fine Gael may not have a seat,” one political pundit tells The Clare Echo.
22:33 – Transfers, transfers, transfers, the main talking point in The Falls.
22:30 – Ex FG councillor Oliver Garry tells The Clare Echo, the amount of votes transferred to Roisin Garvey in last count was a surprise to him. Admits FG will be in a battle but says the coverage from The Clare Echo all day has been brilliant!!
22:22 – Trudy Leyden on Fine Gael’s chances of getting a candidate elected in Clare: “It might be only my transfers that are fantastic for them because they’re very unpopular at the moment… there’s still no way to rationalise or see what’s going on at the moment.”
22:21 – 95 votes going in the direction of Roisin Garvey (GP) too. Transfers were crucial to her local election success last May.
22:19 – Michael McNamara (IND) getting 115 votes off transfers from Leyden and Barrett. He has been quite transfer friendly in his political career.
22:16 – Michael Leahy (IFP) eliminated.
22:13 – THIRD COUNT;
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 9063 (+65)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8402 (+30)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7783 (+16)
McNamara Michael (IND) 7465 (+115)
Carey Joe (FG) 5721 (+33)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5735 (+95)
Breen Pat (FG) 5454 (+45)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4179(+53)
Conway Martin (FG) 2310 (+23)
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1285 (+59)
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1254 (+47)
Leahy Michael (IFP) 807 (+43)
22:01 – The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience will remain CLOSED tomorrow ALL DAY Monday 10th February due Storm Ciara extended Orange Warning in place.
21:59 – Less people in The Falls as we anticipate the third count.
21:52 – Transfers were always going to decide how it panned out in Clare. Third count due shortly.
21:47 – Martin Conway (FG) and his wife Breege have arrived at The Falls. “We’ve to do what we can to do win a seat for Fine Gael” is the fighting spirit espoused by the Conway camp.
21:42 – Michael Leahy (IFP) was the big winner in transfers from Conor O’Brien’s (RENUA) distribution. He gained 60 votes. #GE2020
21:40 – Transfers of Leyden & Barrett’s vote underway.
21:35 – Trudy Leyden (IND) & David Barrett (IND) eliminated.
21:30 – SECOND COUNT:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 8998 (+11)
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8372 (+17)
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7767 (+4)
McNamara Michael (IND) 7350 (+18)
Carey Joe (FG) 5688 (+4)
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5640 (+16)
Breen Pat (FG) 5409 (+3)
McInerney Rita (FF) 4146 (+10)
Conway Martin (FG) 228& (+2)
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1226 (+8)
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1207 (+11)
Leahy Michael (IFP) 764 (+60)
Barrett David (IND) 404 (+4)
Leyden Trudy (IND) 222 (+4)
21:20 – Crowd beginning to vanish from The Falls. They waited and waited for the first count.
21:17 – ELECTORATE – 91,120
POLL – 60,014
VALID POLL – 59,945
QUOTA – 11,900
21:11 – First count:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 8987
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8355
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7763
McNamara Michael (IND) 7332
Carey Joe (FG) 5684
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5624
Breen Pat (FG) 5406
McInerney Rita (FF) 4136
Conway Martin (FG) 2285
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1218
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1196
Leahy Michael (IFP) 704
Barrett David (IND) 400
Leyden Trudy (IND) 218
O’Brien Conor (REN) 187
21:00 – Cllr Paul Murphy who backed fellow Magpie Joe Carey’s campaign tells us, “I would love to have seen two Fine Gael candidates elected but that looks like it’s beyond us now … if Róisín Garvey stays ahead of Pat Green, that will probably elect Joe,” he predicts.
20:56 – Flick the kettle, we’ll be here for a while yet.
20:55 – Query from one of our followers in Newmarket-on-Fergus… “Are they using an abacus up there” – a contender for quote of the day we think
20:48 – FIRST COUNT UPDATE:We’re told another thirty minutes before we will have a first count in Clare #GE2020.
20:46 – Returning Officer, Patrick Wallace is sitting at his laptop. Unconfirmed that he is keeping updated by following our live blog.
20:39 – Section of N85 now closed due to flooding (Inagh to Ennistymon). Diversion via R460 Maurice’s Mills / local roads and drive slowly.
20:34 – Candidate watch: No sign of Conor O’Brien (Renua), Martin Conway (FG), Pat Breen (FG), Joe Carey (FG), Michael McNamara (IND) at the Count centre.
20:32 – No first count to report, still.
20:21 – A warning was issued with those tallies that 1800 votes were inaccurate.
20:18 – Reminder of the final tally breakdown:
All boxes tallied (180/180):
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 8692
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8144
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7611
McNamara Michael (IND) 7228
Carey Joe (FG) 5588
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5519
Breen Pat (FG) 5308
McInerney Rita (FF) 4058
Conway Martin (FG) 2249
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1232
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1173
Leahy Michael (IFP) 711
Barrett David (IND) 398
Leyden Trudy (IND) 203
O’Brien Conor (REN) 195
20:12 – A number of tally men have indicated to The Clare Echo that from their assessment, Violet-Anne Wynne will not collect too many transfers. Time will tell, a lot of time judging by the rate at which counts are being conducted #GE2020
20:09 – Some more candidates have since arrived. These include Roisin Garvey (GP), Timmy Dooley (FF) & Rita McInerney (FF).
20:02 – “It’s a pity because Martin is a very good speaker, he has done a lot of good for Clare,” one Fine Gael member laments the performance of Martin Conway.
20:00 – Killaloe NS Tally –
Dooley Timmy (FF) 249
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 203
Crowe Cathal (FF) 97
Breen Pat (FG) 83
McNamara Michael (IND) 82
Garvey Roisin (GP) 72
Carey Joe (FG) 37
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 15
Conway Martin (FG) 7
Leahy Michael (IFP) 6
Barrett David (IND) 5
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 3
McInerney Rita (FF) 3
Leyden Trudy (IND) 0
O’Brien Conor (REN) 0
19:55 – Joe Melody who gave his preview in this week’s paper is now in The Falls.
19:53 – Scroll back along for our updates throughout the day including some area breakdowns of the tallies.
19:51 – Have to remind ourselves it is Sunday from time to time. “Feels like a Saturday” the common line batted out throughout the day.
19:49 – Niall O’Connor is on his feet, Stuart Holly is on his feet. Alas, the wait continues.
19:48 – Every vote counts, the dissection of questionable votes continues.
19:46 – Space become a luxury in The Falls. Crowd beginning to pack around our media station.
19:45 – Outgoing Minister for Tourism, Transport & Sport, Shane Ross has been eliminated in Dublin Rathdown.
19:38 – Still waiting here in The Falls for a first count.
19:31 – “What coffee are ye on”, Dermot Hayes asks Clare Echo staff! It’s a tea for @thepmanofficial, coffee for @nialloc90 & @Stuart_Holly!
19:28 – Dr Michael Harty tells The Clare Echo. “There is statistically a one in ten chance of the top four candidates in the first count being overtaken”. He adds that if anyone has a chance to do that it will be a Fine Gael candidate.
19:26 – First count due imminently.
19:22 – WiFi slowing down as huge crowds pack into the count centre.
19:06 – Some of Roisin Garvey’s team estimate that approx 2,500 of Violet-Anne Wynne’s would have been going to Garvey
19:04 – All candidate agents being asked to the stage. Assessment of spoiled votes to take place in 15 minutes #GE2020
19:02 – Yet another Sinn Féin TD elected as Maurice Quinlivan tops the poll in Limerick City, beating historic poll-topper Willie O’Dea of Fianna Fáil.
19:00 – “What is taking so long,” the question we are being asked over and over.
18:53 – Kilfenora Tally:
Dooley Timmy (FF) 76
McNamara Michael (IND) 58
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 52
Crowe Cathal (FF) 44
Conway Martin (FG) 37
Garvey Roisin (GP) 34
Breen Pat (FG) 31
McInerney Rita (FF) 21
Carey Joe (FG) 20
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 11
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 8
Leahy Michael (IFP) 5
Barrett David (IND) 3
O’Brien Conor (REN) 2
Leyden Trudy (IND) 0
18:51 – Now hearing that the count will be concluding at 23:30 this evening
18:50 – First count now expected to be done at 19:30.
18:40 – No sign of a first count yet. Spectators quite annoyed with the wait.
18:27 – The view being expressed both by our followers and people in the Count Centre that Violet-Anne Wynne may not have enough transfers.
18:25 – Stephen Kearney has told us “Fine Gael to miss out”. Violet-Anne Wynne, Cathal Crowe, Timmy Dooley and Michael McNamara is who he thinks.
18:23 – “Transfer friendly” Michael McNamara will be back in the Dáil according to Caroline Egan. She said, “2 FF, 1 SF, 1 IND if Rita McInerney is transfer friendly to Michael McNamara”.
18:22 – Padraig Nestor who has been following us since the very beginning today is calling it as Wynne, Dooley, Crowe and Carey.
18:20 – Kilfenora’s Liam Keane predicting Violet-Anne Wynne will get in
18:19 – In other news, Cllr Pat Hayes’ car has yet to be found. It was stolen during a canvass for Timmy Dooley in this campaign. “I’ll be charging a euro now for anyone asking have I found it,” he joked to The Clare Echo.
18:15 – Anticipation building among the political followers who are eager to see a first count.
18:14 – Based on the tallies who do you think is going to be elected in Clare? Tweet us @ClareEcho or @thepmanofficial.
18:11 – Bridgetown Tally:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 130
Crowe Cathal (FF) 114
Dooley Timmy (FF) 97
Breen Pat (FG) 72
Carey Joe (FG) 62
McNamara Michael (IND) 58
Garvey Roisin (GP) 48
Conway Martin (FG) 7
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 7
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 5
Leahy Michael (IFP) 4
McInerney Rita (FF) 4
Barrett David (IND) 2
Leyden Trudy (IND) 1
O’Brien Conor (REN) 0
18:08 – St Senan’s NS Shannon:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 197
Crowe Cathal (FF) 84
Carey Joe (FG) 42
McNamara Michael (IND) 40
Breen Pat (FG) 37
Dooley Timmy (FF) 31
Garvey Roisin (GP) 25
Leahy Michael (IFP) 15
Conway Martin (FG) 12
McInerney Rita (FF) 11
Barrett David (IND) 10
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 9
O’Brien Conor (REN) 3
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1
Leyden Trudy (IND) 1
17:51 – “They accuse us of voting for people that fix the pot hole but it’s okay for people to vote for someone they don’t know,” a member of ‘the big two’ political parties stated to The Clare Echo of the huge first preference vote for Violet-Anne Wynne.
17:50 – Shannon Banks Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 646
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 397
Garvey Roisin (GP) 139
Breen Pat (FG) 62
Carey Joe (FG) 46
McNamara Michael (IND) 44
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 43
Conway Martin (FG) 18
Barrett David (IND) 11
Dooley Timmy (FF) 11
O’Brien Conor (REN) 11
Leahy Michael (IFP) 10
McInerney Rita (FF) 10
Leyden Trudy (IND) 6
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1
17:45 – Inside analysis has been done of Martin Conway’s transfers. 240 to Joe Carey, 110 to Pat Breen, 80 to Roisin Garvey, 80-110 Michael McNamara is what we’ve been told.
17:41 – All parties afraid to predict the breakdown of who the four Clare TDs will be.
17:35 – First count won’t take place until closer to 18:30 now.
17:29 – First time candidate Trudy Leyden (IND) is now here.
17:24 – First count due in a matter of moments.
17:14 – Parteen NS Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 695
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 184
Carey Joe (FG) 122
Breen Pat (FG) 103
Garvey Roisin (GP) 99
McNamara Michael (IND) 53
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 27
Dooley Timmy (FF) 25
Barrett David (IND) 13
Leahy Michael (IFP) 10
Conway Martin (FG) 9
McInerney Rita (FF) 5
Leyden Trudy (IND) 3
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 2
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
17:10 – Sinn Féin’s Violet-Anne Wynne is here in The Falls.
17:08 – The Kilmaley box was never missing, it has emerged!
17:06 – Sixmilebridge NS Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 278
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 269
Breen Pat (FG) 189
Carey Joe (FG) 151
Dooley Timmy (FF) 115
Garvey Roisin (GP) 96
McNamara Michael (IND) 62
McInerney Rita (FF) 30
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 24
Conway Martin (FG) 15
Leahy Michael (IFP) 9
O’Brien Conor (REN) 8
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 7
Barrett David (IND) 4
Leyden Trudy (IND) 3
17:03 – Joe Carey (FG) was the big winner in Newmarket-on-Fergus in #GE16. Now he’s been overtaken by Cathal Crowe (FF) and Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) if tallies are to be believed
17:00 – Tally from Newmarket-on-Fergus National School:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 211
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 192
Carey Joe (FG) 171
Dooley Timmy (FF) 116
McNamara Michael (IND) 100
Breen Pat (FG) 88
Garvey Roisin (GP) 76
McInerney Rita (FF) 37
Conway Martin (FG) 22
Leahy Michael (IFP) 11
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 11
Barrett David (IND) 9
Leyden Trudy (IND) 5
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 5
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
16:57 – First count expected at 5:30pm.
16:55 – Cathal Crowe (FF) got 48% first preference vote in Cratloe as per the tallies.
16:53 – Cratloe Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 385
Garvey Roisin (GP) 79
Breen Pat (FG) 75
Carey Joe (FG) 58
Dooley Timmy (FF) 53
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 51
McNamara Michael (IND) 42
Leahy Michael (IFP) 11
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 11
McInerney Rita (FF) 8
Conway Martin (FG) 8
Barrett David (IND) 4
Leyden Trudy (IND) 2
O’Brien Conor (REN) 2
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 0
16:49 – Holy Family Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 287
Carey Joe (FG) 284
Dooley Timmy (FF) 282
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 279
Garvey Roisin (GP) 253
McNamara Michael (IND) 198
Breen Pat (FG) 159
McInerney Rita (FF) 95
Conway Martin (FG) 55
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 55
Leahy Michael (IFP) 50
Leyden Trudy (IND) 19
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 16
Barrett David (IND) 9
O’Brien Conor (REN) 4
16:37 – Hello to the 5% of people following our live blog on their tablets (86% mobile phone, 9% desktop). Our blog has attracted 28,388 views so far with 91% of users based in Ireland. Shout out to Spain as the only non-English speaking country in the top 5.
16:33 – Cathal Crowe (FF) the big winner from Clonlara tally as expected. What shows the national trend is how well Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) has appeared to have done there.
16:31 – Clonlara Tally:
Crowe Cathal (FF) 375
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 216
Carey Joe (FG) 134
Garvey Roisin (GP) 98
Breen Pat (FG) 94
McNamara Michael (IND) 89
Dooley Timmy (FF) 58
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 23
Leahy Michael (IFP) 11
McInerney Rita (FF) 11
Barrett David (IND) 9
O’Brien Conor (REN) 5
Leyden Trudy (IND) 4
Conway Martin (FG) 4
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 0
16:25 – Educate Together Tally:
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 180
Dooley Timmy (FF) 165
Garvey Roisin (GP) 161
Crowe Cathal (FF) 140
Carey Joe (FG) 122
McNamara Michael (IND) 121
Breen Pat (FG) 97
Conway Martin (FG) 56
McInerney Rita (FF) 53
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 35
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 20
Barrett David (IND) 17
Leahy Michael (IFP) 17
Leyden Trudy (IND) 5
O’Brien Conor (REN) 5
16:23 – Top two performers in Ennis CBS tally are Roisin Garvey (GP) & Violet-Anne Wynne (SF).
16:15 – Ennis CBS Tally:
Garvey Roisin (GP) 394
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 320
Dooley Timmy (FF) 321
McNamara Michael (IND) 284
Crowe Cathal (FF) 246
Carey Joe (FG) 242
Breen Pat (FG) 218
McInerney Rita (FF) 99
Conway Martin (FG) 73
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 71
Leahy Michael (IFP) 50
Leyden Trudy (IND) 24
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 23
Barrett David (IND) 15
O’Brien Conor (REN) 5
16:03 – Cathal Crowe is now in The Falls. He’ll be hoping to leave as a TD.
15:54 – From the tallies, Joe Carey (FG) looks to have got 42% of the vote in Clarecastle.
15:50 – Clarecastle Tally:
Carey Joe (FG) 780
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 224
Crowe Cathal (FF) 182
Dooley Timmy (FF) 181
Garvey Roisin (GP) 143
McNamara Michael (IND) 123
Breen Pat (FG) 95
McInerney Rita (FF) 54
Conway Martin (FG) 35
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 32
Leahy Michael (IFP) 25
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 13
Leyden Trudy (IND) 8
Barrett David (IND) 5
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
15:41 – Doora Tally
Carey Joe (FG) 107
Crowe Cathal (FF) 85
Dooley Timmy (FF) 88
McNamara Michael (IND) 69
Garvey Roisin (GP) 52
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 47
Breen Pat (FG) 35
Conway Martin (FG) 16
Leahy Michael (IFP) 15
McInerney Rita (FF) 15
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 15
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 6
O’Brien Conor (REN) 3
Barrett David (IND) 3
Leyden Trudy (IND) 2
15:33 – Drumbiggle Tally
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 328
Dooley Timmy (FF) 224
Breen Pat (FG) 220
Garvey Roisin (GP) 188
Crowe Cathal (FF) 186
Carey Joe (FG) 181
McNamara Michael (IND) 163
McInerney Rita (FF) 84
Conway Martin (FG) 53
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 41
Leahy Michael (IFP) 23
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 20
Barrett David (IND) 16
Leyden Trudy (IND) 9
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
15:20 – Barefield Tally:
Dooley Timmy (FF) 146
McNamara Michael (IND) 137
Crowe Cathal (FF) 117
Carey Joe (FG) 105
Garvey Roisin (GP) 96
Breen Pat (FG) 92
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 82
Conway Martin (FG) 48
McInerney Rita (FF) 38
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 18
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 15
Leahy Michael (IFP) 8
Barrett David (IND) 5
Leyden Trudy (IND) 3
O’Brien Conor (REN) 3
15:05 – We’re about to give you a breakdown by area of the tallies. Please note the tallies compiled by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are said to be out by 1800 votes.
14:59 – Editor of The Clare Echo, Stuart Holly has landed in The Falls.
14:53 – Fianna Fáil hopeful they will get two seats from Clare.
14:51 – Pundits around the Count Centre don’t believe the 1800 tally error will be too significant.
14:45 – Add in the Kilmaley box to the mix. Drama overload.
14:44 – Tally is out by 1800 votes!!
14:30 – Staff now sorting through the first preference votes.
14:29 – Plenty of talk about ‘the missing box’ as staff sort boxes.
14:22 – James Breen reminds us there are 5,000 votes to be distributed from the smaller parties, “that will tell a lot”.
14:20 – Our own Niall O’Connor is getting the blame for the missing box. His handling of Anthony Nash’s sliotars still vividly remembered!
14:05 – There is a missing box! From Kilmaley. Search underway to find it.
13:58 – Quota is 11,669. Expected that the count will run into Monday.
13:55 – On Monday, Donna McGettigan will be co-opted to Clare County Council. It looks like Violet-Anne Wynne will be elected as a TD. “The feeling down here is unbelievable”, McGettigan tells her mother on the phone.
13:48 – So Sinn Féin look like they will top the poll in Clare. A seismic result for Violet-Anne Wynne.
13:44 – All boxes tallied (180/180):
Barrett David (IND) 398
Breen Pat (FG) 5308
Carey Joe (FG) 5588
Conway Martin (FG) 2249
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8144
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7611
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5519
Leahy Michael (IFP) 711
Leyden Trudy (IND) 203
McInerney Rita (FF) 4058
McNamara Michael (IND) 7228
O’Brien Conor (REN) 195
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1173
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1232
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 8692
13:36 – Fine Gael sources tell The Clare Echo they expect Roisin Garvey’s transfers will elect Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) #GE2020. In #LE19 205 of Noeleen Moran’s surplus was given to Garvey (GP) which helped get become a Councillor.
13:33 – “In all my fifty years I’ve never seen anything like it, this is an earthquake” says local election candidate of 2019 and activist Dermot Hayes.
13:30 – With 177 of 180 boxes tallied, here’s how it looks.
Barrett David (IND) 394
Breen Pat (FG) 5308
Carey Joe (FG) 5551
Conway Martin (FG) 2229
Crowe Cathal (FF) 8116
Dooley Timmy (FF) 7492
Garvey Roisin (GP) 5442
Leahy Michael (IFP) 700
Leyden Trudy (IND) 200
McInerney Rita (FF) 4045
McNamara Michael (IND) 7073
O’Brien Conor (REN) 193
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 1153
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1232
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 8628
13:25 – All boxes have been opened and counter. We’re waiting on the final tally #GE2020. First count will take place later this evening (expected to be after 6:30pm).
13:24 – All boxes opened. Waiting on the final tally.
13:16 – Some of Michael McNamara’s vote has “stalled a bit” his supporters note.
13:13 – Quota expected to be around 12,000 in Clare.
13:12 – Fine Gael insiders admit they are likely to lose a seat. Pat Breen and Joe Carey neck and neck on 4756 and 4870.
13:11 – Violet-Anne Wynne still in front.
13:10 – 158 of 180 boxes:
Barrett David (IND) 349
Breen Pat (FG) 4756
Carey Joe (FG) 4870
Conway Martin (FG) 2051
Crowe Cathal (FF) 7029
Dooley Timmy (FF) 6721
Garvey Roisin (GP) 4685
Leahy Michael (IFP) 587
Leyden Trudy (IND) 151
McInerney Rita (FF) 3792
McNamara Michael (IND) 6341
O’Brien Conor (REN) 165
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 979
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1089
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 7381
12:56 – Timmy Dooley got more postal votes than any candidate in Clare.
12:50 – Sinn Féin are now in front in Clare. 41 boxes to be tallied.
12:48 – Latest tally update. 139 boxes of 180.
Barrett David (IND) 304
Breen Pat (FG) 4204
Carey Joe (FG) 4253
Conway Martin (FG) 1882
Crowe Cathal (FF) 6192
Dooley Timmy (FF) 5836
Garvey Roisin (GP) 4060
Leahy Michael (IFP) 507
Leyden Trudy (IND) 130
McInerney Rita (FF) 3553
McNamara Michael (IND) 5626
O’Brien Conor (REN) 142
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 843
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1037
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 6367
12:45 – Quick mention to some of those following the blog across the county! Natalie O’Hanlon is watching closely in Newmarket-on-Fergus as is Gabriella Hanrahan in Ennis plus Podge Collins is keeping us on our toes all the way IN Roscommon!
12:41 – Majority of boxes left to be tallied are in Ennis (28). Remaining boxes are in Shannon (13), Killaloe (7), Kilrush (5), Ennistymon (7).
12:36 – Pat Breen (FG) will be disappointed with his return of 3660 from 38 boxes in Kilrush. The Junior Minister will be battling with his colleague Joe Carey (FG) to win votes in Ennis.
12:30 – Of the boxes tallied so far, they are in the following areas. Areas tallied so far –
Ennis (12/40)
Shannon (22/35)
Killaloe (25/32)
Kilrush (38/43)
Ennistymon (22/29)
12:29 – Sinn Féin’s Violet-Anne Wynne has jumped ahead of Michael McNamara.
12:27 – Boxes 119/180:
Barrett David (IND) 229
Breen Pat (FG) 3660
Carey Joe (FG) 3467
Conway Martin (FG) 1509
Crowe Cathal (FF) 5386
Dooley Timmy (FF) 4898
Garvey Roisin (GP) 3345
Leahy Michael (IFP) 404
Leyden Trudy (IND) 105
McInerney Rita (FF) 3108
McNamara Michael (IND) 4826
O’Brien Conor (REN) 127
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 684
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 750
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 5077
12:25 – Dr. Michael Harty has arrived. It’ll be less joyous scenes for him that his last visit to The Falls for a General Election count.
12:14 – Cathal Crowe has overtaken Michael McNamara.
12:12 – 110/180 Boxes:
Barrett David (IND) 229
Breen Pat (FG) 3410
Carey Joe (FG) 3113
Conway Martin (FG) 1326
Crowe Cathal (FF) 4819
Dooley Timmy (FF) 4531
Garvey Roisin (GP) 3036
Leahy Michael (IFP) 361
Leyden Trudy (IND) 92
McInerney Rita (FF) 2978
McNamara Michael (IND) 4502
O’Brien Conor (REN) 118
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 617
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 721
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 4480
12:03 – With 100 boxes tallied. Here are the area of which they are coming from.
Ennis (10/40)
Shannon (15/35)
Killaloe (23/32)
Kilrush (35/49)
Ennistymon (17/28)
12:00 – Those in the mix in Clare so far.
McNamara Michael (IND) 4183
Crowe Cathal (FF) 4173
Dooley Timmy (FF) 4161
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 4032
Breen Pat (FG) 3139
McInerney Rita (FF) 2817
Carey Joe (FG) 2639
Garvey Roisin (GP) 2600
11:57 – 100/180 Boxes:
Barrett David (IND) 212
Breen Pat (FG) 3139
Carey Joe (FG) 2639
Conway Martin (FG) 1138
Crowe Cathal (FF) 4173
Dooley Timmy (FF) 4161
Garvey Roisin (GP) 2600
Leahy Michael (IFP) 328
Leyden Trudy (IND) 81
McInerney Rita (FF) 2817
McNamara Michael (IND) 4183
O’Brien Conor (REN) 108
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 587
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 602
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 4032
11:56 – Tally update to come.
11:54 – Two Councillors, Shane Talty (FF) and Ian Lynch (IND) have landed in The Falls.
11:45 – Joseph Woulfe (IND) is in the count centre.
11:37 – Breakdown from tally update
83/180 opened
Ennis (7/40)
Shannon (12/35)
Killaloe (19/32)
Kilrush (33/43)
Ennistymon (12/39)
11:34 – 83/180 boxes tallied.
Barrett David (IND) 183
Breen Pat (FG) 2717
Carey Joe (FG) 2021
Conway Martin (FG) 902
Crowe Cathal (FF) 3265
Dooley Timmy (FF) 3239
Garvey Roisin (GP) 2065
Leahy Michael (IFP) 267
Leyden Trudy (IND) 62
McInerney Rita (FF) 2495
McNamara Michael (IND) 3488
O’Brien Conor (REN) 82
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 474
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 409
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 3247
11:28 – He got one vote in our Instagram poll and he’s playing a blinder feeding us info on the tallies, Niall O’Connor your go to man for sales and advertising in The Clare Echo. Alternatively contact Ger Naughton who is equally as talented!
11:20 –
71/179
Barrett David (IND) 152
Breen Pat (FG) 2374
Carey Joe (FG) 1720
Conway Martin (FG) 770
Crowe Cathal (FF) 2731
Dooley Timmy (FF) 2561
Garvey Roisin (GP) 1739
Leahy Michael (IFP) 225
Leyden Trudy (IND) 52
McInerney Rita (FF) 2270
McNamara Michael (IND) 2745
O’Brien Conor (REN) 70
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 395
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 353
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 2695
11:13 – Bodyke’s only box tallied.
Barrett David (IND) 1
Breen Pat (FG) 24
Carey Joe (FG) 86
Conway Martin (FG) 3
Crowe Cathal (FF) 18
Dooley Timmy (FF) 56
Garvey Roisin (GP) 22
Leahy Michael (IFP) 5
Leyden Trudy (IND) 2
McInerney Rita (FF) 2
McNamara Michael (IND) 104
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 11
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 25
11:07 – Shane Ross a potential casualty of GE2020. That’s according to Kevin Doyle of The Irish Independent.
11:06 – Front runner Cllr Cathal Crowe (FF) is watching The Wiggles! With his three children at home in Westbury.
11:04 – Three of four boxes tallied in Shannon Banks.
Shannon Banks (3/4)
Barrett David (IND) 7
Breen Pat (FG) 42
Carey Joe (FG) 35
Conway Martin (FG) 13
Crowe Cathal (FF) 463
Dooley Timmy (FF) 9
Garvey Roisin (GP) 98
Leahy Michael (IFP) 4
Leyden Trudy (IND) 3
McInerney Rita (FF) 4
McNamara Michael (IND) 32
O’Brien Conor (REN) 8
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 27
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 1
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 225
10:59 – Tally people resuming their positions.
10:56 – Two of three boxes tallied in Parteen:
Barrett David (IND) 9
Breen Pat (FG) 65
Carey Joe (FG) 78
Conway Martin (FG) 6
Crowe Cathal (FF) 448
Dooley Timmy (FF) 14
Garvey Roisin (GP) 69
Leahy Michael (IFP) 8
Leyden Trudy (IND) 3
McInerney Rita (FF) 2
McNamara Michael (IND) 34
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 16
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 2
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 116
10:49 – Tally from one of the three boxes tallied in Clonlara.
Barrett David (IND) 2
Breen Pat (FG) 36
Carey Joe (FG) 50
Conway Martin (FG) 2
Crowe Cathal (FF) 160
Dooley Timmy (FF) 29
Garvey Roisin (GP) 43
Leahy Michael (IFP) 3
Leyden Trudy (IND) 1
McInerney Rita (FF) 3
McNamara Michael (IND) 23
O’Brien Conor (REN) 0
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 8
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 0
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 62
10:45 – Areas tallied so far in the 46 boxes –
5/40 Ennis
7/35 Shannon
7/32 Killaloe
20/43 Kilrush
7/29 Ennistymon
#GE2020
10:42 –
Tally from 46/179 boxes –
Barrett David (IND) 102
Breen Pat (FG) 1372
Carey Joe (FG) 1068
Conway Martin (FG) 497
Crowe Cathal (FF) 1895
Dooley Timmy (FF) 1417
Garvey Roisin (GP) 1133
Leahy Michael (IFP) 145
Leyden Trudy (IND) 33
McInerney Rita (FF) 1428
McNamara Michael (IND) 1686
O’Brien Conor (REN) 49
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 252
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 243
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 1738
10:40 – “I’m shocked”, one Fine Gael member very surprised with how well Sinn Féin’s Violet-Anne Wynne is doing.
10:35 – Retired councillor Christy Curtin makes his way over to The Clare Echo’s station at The Falls. If you’re around pop over to us. “The fourth estate always keep an eye on things”.
10:32 – One box from Scoil Chríost Rí tallied.
Barrett David (IND) 6
Breen Pat (FG) 20
Carey Joe (FG) 23
Conway Martin (FG) 6
Crowe Cathal (FF) 25
Dooley Timmy (FF) 48
Garvey Roisin (GP) 21
Leahy Michael (IFP) 7
Leyden Trudy (IND) 5
McInerney Rita (FF) 7
McNamara Michael (IND) 22
O’Brien Conor (REN) 1
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 8
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 0
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 49
10:30 – Where in the world are you following the blog from? Let us know, tweet us @thepmanofficial / @ClareEcho
10:29 – Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) also doing well in Kilkishen.
10:27 – Fianna Fáil duo Cathal Crowe and Timmy Dooley first two from that Doora tally.
10:23 – One tally from Doora –
Barrett David (IND) = 2
Breen Pat (FG) = 18
Carey Joe (FG) = 67
Conway Martin (FG) = 9
Crowe Cathal (FF) = 40
Dooley Timmy (FF) = 39
Garvey Roisin (GP) = 21
Leahy Michael (IFP) = 7
Leyden Trudy (IND) = 2
McInerney Rita (FF) = 8
McNamara Michael (IND) = 23
O’Brien Conor (REN) = 2
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) = 3
Woulfe Joseph (IND) = 3
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) = 23
10:21 –
Tally from 32 boxes
Barrett David (IND) 67
Breen Pat (FG) 951
Carey Joe (FG) 642
Conway Martin (FG) 384
Crowe Cathal (FF) 1556
Dooley Timmy (FF) 832
Garvey Roisin (GP) 752
Leahy Michael (IFP) 107
Leyden Trudy (IND) 27
McInerney Rita (FF) 944
McNamara Michael (IND) 1124
O’Brien Conor (REN) 41
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) 182
Woulfe Joseph (IND) 109
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) 1206
10:17 – Cathal Crowe (FF) on course to be elected if tallies are correct! Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) is getting a very good first preference vote across the board.
10:14 – Back to the blog following a brief update for Scariff Bay.
10:01 –
Tally of 18 boxes in Clare so far –
Barrett David (IND) = 38
Breen Pat (FG) = 580
Carey Joe (FG) = 394
Conway Martin (FG) = 207
Crowe Cathal (FF) = 960
Dooley Timmy (FF) = 472
Garvey Roisin (GP) = 455
Leahy Michael (IFP) = 69
Leyden Trudy (IND) = 16
McInerney Rita (FF) = 407
McNamara Michael (IND) = 628
O’Brien Conor (REN) = 26
O’Donohoe Theresa (PBP) = 93
Woulfe Joseph (IND) = 56
Wynne Violet-Anne (SF) = 782
09:53 – In one particular box from St Senan’s School in Shannon, Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) has received the most votes.
09:48 – “There is no consistency whatsoever”, a Fianna Fáil source tells The Clare Echo of the tallies across Clare.
09:45 – Rita McInerney (FF) & Michael McNamara (IND) going strong in Kilmihil
09:42 – 179 boxes in total to be counted in Clare.
09:36 – Rita McInerney (FF) & Pat Breen (FG) appear to be top dogs in Knockerra and Moyasta.
09:31 – Sinn Féin very happy with how Violet-Anne Wynne is polling in Killaloe, Shannon and Parteen.
09:27 – Cathal Crowe (FF) cleaning up in Shannon. Violet-Anne Wynne also doing well.
09:23 – We’ll give a more detailed breakdown of tallies as the day continues.
09:22 – One Parteen box have Cathal Crowe (FF), Roisin Garvey (GP) & Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) doing well.
09:22 – One Liscannor box shows Roisin Garvey (GP), Timmy Dooley (FF) & Martin Conway (FG) taking the share of votes.
09:17 – James Breen’s studies so far are positive for Sinn Féin & Fianna Fáil in Clare.
09:15 – From our observations so far, Michael McNamara (IND) and Timmy Dooley (FF) cleaning up in Scariff boxes. Cathal Crowe (FF) polling well in Barefield.
09:10 – Guilfoyle says exit poll is great to see people shaking the trees. Whether the Sinn Féin spike reaches Clare and Violet-Anne Wynne is the question.
09:09 – “Last night was like Christmas Eve, you wrote the letter but you didn’t know what Santa was going to bring”, Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) Director of Elections in Clare.
09:01 – Kilnamona being the buzz word so far, mind the flooding on the road.
09:00 – Boxes are opened. Counting has begun.
08:58 – Theresa O’Donohoe (PBP) is the first of the candidates to arrive at the count centre.
08:57 – Tally men and women have assumed their positions.
08:54 – Only 1% of those polled in the exit poll were influenced by Brexit. A key issue pushed by Fine Gael on the doorstep.
08:53 – Regional breakdown of the exit poll: Support for the Green Party is strongest in Dublin where it has 13% of the first preference vote, while its support is considerably weaker outside the capital. Fianna Fáil’s support in the rest of Leinster is 26%, while Fine Gael is on 22%, Sinn Féin is on 24% and Independents are on 8%. In Munster Fianna Fáil is on 26%, Fine Gael 25%, Sinn Féin 18% and Independents 15%. In Connacht Ulster the poll suggests support for Fianna Fáil is 22%, Fine Gael is 22%, Sinn Fein 26% and Independents 17%.
08:52 – The poll suggests a polar opposite voting pattern between older and younger voters. It indicates that the majority of voters over the age of 65 gave their first preference to Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.
08:50 – As per the exit poll there appears to be a move towards Sinn Féin especially from younger voters. They have received the largest number of first preference votes among 18-24 years olds.
08:49 – Details from the exit poll carried out by Ipsos MRBI for RTÉ, The Irish Times, TG4 and UCD: The first preference vote of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is suggested by this poll to stand at 44% – significantly lower than the 49% they polled in the 2016 General Election. In previous exit polls, support for Fianna Fáil has been under-stated. However, on this occasion, the number of people interviewed has increased from about 3,000 to more than 5,300 to improve accuracy.
08:45 – Returning Officer Patrick Wallace is addressing the Count staff. It’s the first of many times over the next day (or two) that we will hear from Mr Wallace.
08:41 – Former TD and ex Cllr James Breen (IND) is in the building! He loves an election and will be digesting the #GE2020 tallies soon enough. He gave his preview in this week’s paper. Click here to read it – James Breen PREVIEW
08:40 – Local activist and LE19 Independent candidate, Dermot Hayes is reminding motorists to take care on approach to The Falls Hotel.
08:39 – Council staff and Court Service staff in situ for the past ten minutes. Getting adjusted to their seating arrangement which they will busily be counting votes in for the next few hours. For some it will feel like an entirety, for others it’s one of the main reasons they want to work for the local authority!
08:35 – ROADS & STORM CIARA: Power outages in Ruan, Killaloe, Bodyke and Lahinch. Road to Ruan is blocked with a tree down by Ballyalla. Bad flooding on the Gort Rd and in Kilnamona as mentioned earlier.
08:26 – “It’s a protest vote, will it reach Clare is the question,” one Fianna Fáil member tells The Clare Echo of last night’s exit poll.
08:22 – Our friends in Scariff Bay will also be live from 9am. Eoin O’Hagan will be in the presenter’s chair.
08:20 – As have Fine Gael.
08:18 – Fianna Fáil’s crew of tally men and women have entered the building!
08:14 – We want to hear from you, the reader. Get in touch with us throughout the day on social media. Let us know where you are and what you think!
08:07 – We will examine this poll in some more detail between now and 9am.
08:05 – An exit poll, carried out by Ipsos MRBI for RTÉ, The Irish Times, TG4 and UCD, indicates Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have 22% of first preference votes. Making the opening of boxes all the more intriguing.
08:00 – The Fianna Fáil tally men and women have arrived in Ennistymon. Pencils sharpened. Boxes to open at 9am.
07:50 – Safe travelling to all coming to The Falls. Strong winds from Storm Ciara with some spot flooding at Kilnamona in particular. Take care on your travels.
07:40 – Welcome to The Falls Hotel. Our live blog is up and running, we’ll keep you posted on all the twists and turns in what promises to be an exciting General Election count in Clare. Páraic McMahon here, we’ll be your go to stop for all #GE2020 updates.
