Irish Elections 2014

IRISH ELECTIONS
PRODUCE SURPRISES: 

Counting in the Local Elections from Friday's voting is not yet completed and the European

Parliament vote will start counting only today.

Exit polls by Irish Television, RTÉ, give an indication of where the vote is going:

Results from RTÉ's exit poll results for the Local Elections:

Independents/Others: 28%

Fine Gael: 24%

Fianna Fáil: 22%

Sinn Féin: 16%

Labour: 7%

Green Party: 3% 

This is the highest vote ever for independent candidates in the history of the State and if repeated in the next General election due in 2016 will cause difficulty in forming a stable government as the independents are not ideologically coherent and cover a very broad spectrum. What was previously unthinkable, a coalition by the two conservative parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is being openly discussed by media pundits.

Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan will top the poll in the Dublin European constituency ahead of Fine Gael's Brian Hayes and the Green Party's Eamon Ryan, according to the exit poll for RTÉ.

The full exit poll results for the constituency are:

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin): 24%

Brian Hayes (Fine Gael): 14%

Eamon Ryan (Green Party): 14%

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fáil): 12%

Nessa Childers (Independent): 11%

Emer Costello (Labour): 8%

Paul Murphy (Socialist Party): 7%

Brid Smith (People Before Profit Alliance): 6%

Thomas Darcy (Direct Democracy Ireland): 1%

Jim Tallon (Independent): 1%

Raymond Patrick Whitehead (Direct Democracy Ireland): 1%

Lynn Boylan's poll-topping performance has shocked the established parties as she was an unknown first-timer at the start of the campaign but she reflects the surge in the Sinn Fein vote which is not just a protest vote but a dramatic switch in political allegiances by the electorate.

Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan will top the Midlands North West constituency ahead of Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness and Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy, according to the exit poll for RTÉ.

The full exit poll results for the constituency are:

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (Ind): 20%

Mairead McGuinness (FG): 16%

Matt Carthy (SF): 13%

Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher (FF): 11%

Marian Harkin (Ind): 11%

Thomas Byrne (FF): 10%

Jim Higgins (FG): 7%

Lorraine Higgins (Lab): 4%

Rónán Mullan (Ind): 4%

Mark Dearey (GP): 2%

TJ Fay (Ind): 1%

Ben Gilroy (DDI): 1%

Mark Fitzsimons (Ind): 0%

Cordelia Níc Fhearraigh (FN): 0%

Another shock for the established parties here as 'Ming' Flanagan heads the poll even though he was a late entry in the election. But, Mr Flanagan's bravado performance in the Dail since 2011 has brought him substantial recognition factor and his allegiance to local unrest over bureaucratic interference from Brussels in rural affairs with costly environmental impact studies for repairing a fence or changing a bicycle wheel has resonated with many voters.

Fianna Fáil's Brian Crowley will top the Euro South constituency ahead of Sinn Féin's Liadh Ní Riada and Fine Gael's Seán Kelly, according to an exit poll for RTÉ.

The full exit poll results for the constituency are:

Brian Crowley (FF): 26%

Liadh Ní Riada (SF): 17%

Seán Kelly (FG): 12%

Deirdre Clune (FG): 9%

Simon Harris (FG): 7%

Kieran Hartley (FF): 5%

Diarmuid O'Flynn (Ind): 5%

Grace O'Sullivan (GP): 5%

Phil Prendergast (Lab): 5%

Richard Cahill (Ind): 3%

Peter O'Loughlin (Ind): 2%

Jillian Godsil (Ind): 1%

Theresa Heaney (CD): 1%

Dónal Ó Ríordáin (FN): 1%

Jan Van De Ven (DDI): 1%

Here, Liadh Ní Riada's strong showing has rattled the established parties and upset calculations for FF and FG hoping to snatch two seats each. Daughter of renowned Irish composer, Seán Ó Riada, who in the 1960's enhanced Irish  music with expansive orchestrations of traditional tunes which gained international recognition and was founder of the musical group which later became international stars "The Chieftains",  Liadh Ní Riada's
family's popularity ensured her a high vote in the South constituency.