POLL:THE POLL in the Seanad Éireann election for the National University of Ireland and Dublin University (Trinity College) constituencies was to close at 11 this morning.
Three seats are to be filled from each of the two constituencies and the counts begin today. Both elections are being conducted by postal ballot.
The NUI count will take place in the Serpentine Hall of the RDS in Ballsbridge and is expected to take two days, with the results likely to be announced tomorrow evening at the earliest.
The Dublin University count takes place in the Examination Hall of Trinity College Dublin. It will continue until about 10.30 tonight and will be resumed tomorrow at 9.30am if necessary. The 2007 election count went into a second day.
There are 97,734 persons eligible to vote on the NUI register and a turnout of about 30,000 is expected. Dublin University has 53,583 eligible voters and the turnout is likely to be in the region of 18,000.
The NUI returning officer is Dr Maurice Manning, chancellor of the university. Outgoing provost of TCD Dr John Hegarty is the returning officer for Dublin University.
Three members of the outgoing Seanad are going forward again on the NUI panel: Rónán Mullen and Feargal Quinn, both elected in this constituency last time; and Niall Ó Brolcháin of the Green Party, who won a Seanad byelection in 2009.
Three outgoing Senators are also standing again for the Dublin University panel: Ivana Bacik, who narrowly missed winning a Dáil seat for Labour in the general election; and presidential hopeful David Norris, both of whom were previously elected in this Seanad constituency; and former Progressive Democrat TD Fiona O’Malley, who was appointed in 2007 by then-taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Also among the 27 candidates on the NUI ballot are cancer specialist John Crown, former Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Paddy Healy, former Irish National Teachers’ Organisation head Declan Kelleher, former PD TD Helen Keogh, president of UCD Students’ Union Paul Lynam, ex-RTÉ radio producer Peter Mooney, Sinn Féin activist Eoin Ó Broin and former Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland president Bernadine O’Sullivan.
Two long-serving senators Joe O’Toole (NUI) and Shane Ross (TCD) are not standing. The latter was elected to Dáil Éireann in the recent general election and he is supporting the candidature of solicitor and former PD member Tony Williams.
Other prominent figures in the TCD race include economist Seán Barrett, journalist Marc Coleman, author and self-proclaimed liberal unionist Jeffrey Dudgeon, GP and columnist Maurice Gueret and Travellers’ rights campaigner Rosaleen McDonagh.
Nine candidates, five on the NUI panel and four on the Dublin University panel, have previously stood unsuccessfully for the Seanad. Three doctors, two economists, three youth representatives and six disability and human rights campaigners are among the candidates. Five teachers are among the aspiring senators, along with four third-level lecturers, seven business/IT specialists, seven women, nine lawyers and one tourism campaigner.
