Voting begins in local and European elections
Polling stations around the country opened at 7am for the 2024 local and European elections, with voting also taking place for the first directly elected mayor of Limerick.
More than 6,500 polling stations will remain open until 10pm, and the sorting and counting of votes will begin on Saturday at 9am.
Voters will elect 949 councillors out of more than 2,100 candidates across 31 local authorities.
- Where to vote, who is on the ballot paper, and other tips
- Local elections 2024: Who are the candidates in my area?
- European Elections: Who are the candidates in my area?
- Which parties match your views? Online tool lets voters check
News in Ireland
- Man who alerted emergency services to fatal Limerick dog attack ‘did all he possibly could’: A man who alerted emergency services to the dog attack in which Nicole Morey died last Tuesday night, “did all he possibly could” to help her, sources close to the investigation said on Thursday.
- Molly Martens is free to move on now, leaving behind a trail of nightmarish violence: Molly Martens’ exit from the prison where she spent the final months of her conviction for the violent killing of her husband, Jason Corbett, took no longer than five seconds.
- Banks warn of pressure to cut mortgage rates following ECB interest rate cut: Bank representatives have warned against pressure on them to cut interest rates after Taoiseach Simon Harris sought a meeting to discuss mortgage interest rates and other consumer issues.
- Man charged over alleged stalking of female politician: A man in his 20s has been charged in connection the alleged stalking of a female politician in the west of Ireland.
- Weather forecast: Friday morning will be mostly cloudy as scattered showers and drizzle move southeastwards across the country. The rain will then ease leaving mainly dry conditions over much of Leinster this morning. It will become drier and brighter through the afternoon with isolated showers. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees. Friday night will start dry before showers move in from the Atlantic, most frequent in the north and west. Generally cloudy tonight. Lowest temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees.
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- Check out today’s Most Read stories
TV Review
- The Serial Killer’s Wife review: Another British thriller in which a woman’s middle-class life is ripped to tatters: The most exciting thing about The Serial Killer’s Wife (Virgin Media One, Thursday, 9pm) is its title. It suggests a pacy thriller ripe with murder and marital intrigue.
- Netflix accused of defamation by woman alleged to be ‘Martha’ in Baby Reindeer lawsuit: A woman claiming to have inspired Richard Gadd’s hit TV series Baby Reindeer is seeking at least €170 million dollars (€156 million) in a lawsuit filed against Netflix.
Opinion
- Justine McCarthy: Do polls merely reflect public opinion - or do they actually shape it?
- Bobby McDonagh: Five key issues to consider when voting in the European Parliament election
Business
- Housing Commission’s analysis falls down on one glaring contradiction: The housing shortage is one of the biggest problems we face and it reflects how our population has grown rapidly over recent decades. In the six years to 2022 alone, our population grew 8 per cent.
Sports
- Joe Canning: Clare need a fit and firing Tony Kelly to end Limerick’s Munster reign: On provincial finals weekend nobody is being eliminated from the championship but it feels like there’s a huge amount at stake.
Podcast Highlights
Heatstroke and hallucinations: A mother’s record-breaking run from Malin to Mizen Head
Listen | 23:57
World
- Keir Starmer expected to push for Palestinian state in Labour manifesto: Keir Starmer is planning to use the Labour manifesto to make his strongest commitment yet on Palestinian statehood in a move to shore up the party’s core support on the left.
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