European elections: McNamara, Funchion, Ní Mhurchú elected, Wallace loses seat

PA Reporters

Independent Michael McNamara, Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion and Fianna Fáil’s Cynthia Ní Mhurchú have been elected as MEPs in the final count in Ireland South.

They claimed the final three seats without reaching the quota.

Independent Mick Wallace failed to retain his seat as an MEP, the fifth sitting representative to lose out.

Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly and Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher were elected in earlier stages of the days-long process.

Left-wing independent Luke “Ming” Flanagan has been re-elected as an MEP for the Midlands-North-West constituency.

Mr Flanagan is the first person to be elected in the five-seat constituency after days of counting.

He reached the quota after count 19, helped by thousands of transfers following the distribution of the votes for Aontú leader Peadar Túibín, who had been eliminated in the previous round.