From the long Saturday night, and into the long Sunday of in the Galway West count, in the Bailey Allen Hall, NUI Galway, here are the results, count by count.
Eamon Ó Cuív has already gained the 'bragging rights' of topping the poll, and as the counts progress he is edgoing closer to also becoming the first Galway West candidate to be declared elected. The general view, as the counts progress, is that Noel Grealish, Seán Kyne, and Catherine Connolly will all be returned, but the fifth seat remains difficult to call, other than that it looks set to be a dogfight between FG's Hildegarde Naughton and Sinn Féin's Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Transfers will be the deciding factor, and here Sen Naughton has the edge. She can count on John O'Mahony's transfers, while Dererk Nolan is expected to transfer well to FG, allowing her to catch up on her fellow senator, Ó Clochartaigh, and eventually overtake him.
