Independent Senator Michael McDowell has secured re-election to the Seanad, becoming the first candidate elected in the current election cycle. McDowell claimed his National University of Ireland (NUI) panel seat on the first count shortly before midnight.
The former justice minister received 11,390 first preference votes, comfortably exceeding the quota of 9,029 from a valid poll of 36,114. His surplus of 2,361 votes will be distributed as counting continues.
Meanwhile, at the Trinity College count, no candidate reached the quota on the first count. Abbas Ali O’Shea, who received the lowest number of votes, was eliminated with their votes set for redistribution.
According to The Journal, this election marks a historic transition in Seanad representation, as it will be the last time Trinity and NUI separately elect three Senators each. From 2026, a new system will allow graduates from all higher education institutions with Irish citizenship to elect six Senators to a combined Higher Education constituency.
The election process, which began in December, involves TDs, councillors, and university graduates voting across various panels designed to represent different sectors of Irish society.