LIVE: Local and European Election Blog...Voting Day
Polling stations across the county are open. We will be updating this page throughout the days with turnout news and reports from across the six municipal areas of Meath
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10pm: Voting across Meath remained steady this evening and as polls closed at 10pm, it looked as if the turnout would be just under 50 per cent.
There had been a turnout of 45 per cent in Ratoath by 9.30pm while there was a turnout of 45 per cent n Laytown Bettystown by 8.30pm and Stamullen of 40.6 per cent.
In Donacarney 38 per cent of voters had cast their vote by 8pm.
19.20: Voting was brisk across the county this evening as the traditional teatime rush saw a steady turnout of voters.
At 7pm there had been a turnout of 31 per cent at polling stations in Ashbourne and in Dunboyne, and 29 per cent at St Stephen's National School in Navan.
Stamullen had seen a turnout of 37 per cent and Ratoath 35.81 per cent.
16.52: We'll probably have the next notable turnout figure at 7pm when polling stations traditionally start to get busier.
16.50: Smartie Pants.... Gavan Reilly unlocks the mysteries of Proportional Representation with confectionary, sweet!
16.47: Sinn Fein Cllr Helen Meyer casting her vote earlier today in Ashbourne
16.46: Fine Gael Cllr Alan Tobin at the Ballot box at Ashbourne Community Centre
16.45: Sinn Fein candidate for Laytown/ Bettystown Maria White voting at the polling station at Donacarney Girls N.S
14.45: 101 year old George O'Connor from Killeen, voted in Dunsany this afternoon, where he met his neighbour, Fianna Fail candidate, John Donohoe at the polling station.
13.30: Voter turn-out in Meath was at around 11 per cent across the county before lunchtime.
The highest turnout was in Dunboyne where 13.9 per cent had cast their votes and there had been a 13.6 per cent turnout in Trim.
Bettystown reported a 13.5 per cent turnout with a 7.4pre cent turnout in Stamullen, 8.4 per cent in Donacarney, nine per cent in Navan, 12 per cent in Ratoath and11.5 in Ashbourne.
13.05:
Independent Cllr Joe Bonner voting at Ashbourne Community Centre this morning.
12.25: Keen voters in Ashbourne were left frustrated this morning after the polling station in the Community Centre was 10 minutes late opening. Busy commuters, some rushing to catch buses were waiting outside the building from before 7am but due to "unforeseen circumstances" the polling station did not open until 7.10am, confirmed by Bridin Concannon, European local Returning Officer.
11.30: Polling at stations around the county remains slow with a turnout at around five per cent across Meath at 11 am.
The highest turnout was in Dunboyne where 7.7 per cent of voters had cast their votes by 11 am.
The turnout at Donacarney National School, one of the biggest polling stations in the Laytown/ Bettystown electoral area was five per cent.
Navan's biggest polling station, St Stephens National School in Johnstown saw a turnout of 5.5 per cent.
The turnout in Kells was five per cent, Trim; 5.8 per cent and Ashbourne six per cent.
10.50: Cllr Eddie Fennessy and Mayor of Navan with young son, Ned voting at Scoil Mhuire, Navan this morning.
10:30: Need a refresh on just who is running in the European Election constituency of Midlands North West...we got you! Here is all 27 candidates profiled.
10.25: Slow start.... Turnout figures from the Deputy Returning Officer at 8.30am showed 1-2.5 per cent at various polling stations across the county.
Dunshaughlin 2 per cent, Donacarney 2.5 per cent, St Colmcilles, Kells less than 1per cent, St Stephen's Navan 1.8 per cent, Trim 1.7 per cent, Ashbourne 2.3 per cent.
Further update expected at 11.30am.
10.12: The length of the ballot paper due to the record number of European Election candidates in the Midlands-North West region is reportedly causing huge challenges for counting staff.
A total of 27 candidates in the region, up ten on the 2019 elections, will mean the ballot paper will be 28 inches in length. Full story here
9.45: Good point...
9.40: WHEN Meath's Returning Officer, County Council Director of Services, Dara McGowan takes to the rostrum in Simonstown GFC on Sunday evening to begin delivering the 2024 Local Election count results he’ll be acutely aware that while he is making dreams come true, he'll be shattering hopes for others.
9.30: As a reminder, here are your election candidates in each electoral area...
TRIM: Electorate: 27,281 /Seats: 6
Sitting Councillors: Aisling Dempsey (FF), Joe Fox (FG), Noel French (IND), Trevor Golden (IND), Ronan Moore (Soc Dem) Niamh Souhan (FG) (All running again).
Candidates: Dave Boyne (Aontú), Padraig Coffey (FF) Aoife Drew (SF), Luba Healy (FG) Daithi McEvoy (SF), Tracy McElhinney (Lab).
RATOATH: Electorate: 28,415 / Seats: 7
Sitting councillors: Brian Fitzgerald (Ind), Deirdre Geraghty Smith (FF), Nick Killian(Ind), Maria Murphy (FG), Gerry O'Connor (FG), Caroline O'Reilly (FF), Gillian Toole (Ind), (All bar Cllr Geraghty Smith running again).
Candidates: Eilish Balfe (Labour), Fionnan Blake (SF), Ruadhain Blake (Green Party), Eleanor Carroll (Ind), John Donohoe (FF), Carolyn Fahy (Party for Animal Welfare), Jean Murray (The National Party), Trish Murtagh (SF), Fergus O Riordan (FG) Gerry Rooney (Workers Party).
NAVAN: Electorate: 25,708 / Seats: 7
Sitting councillors: Yemi Adenuga (FG), Francis Deane (Ind), Eddie Fennessy (SF), Padraig Fitzsimons (FF), Alan Lawes (Ind), Tommy Reilly (FF), Emer Toibin (Aontu)
(All running again)
Candidates: Kashif Ali (FF), Niamh Carroll (FF), Jose Cyriac (Aontu), Edel Gillick (Ind), Ross Kelly (FG), Seamus McMenamin (Green Party), Frances Murphy (SF), Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Caoimhe Ní Shluain (SF), David O' Shea (Irish Freedom Party), Francis O'Toole (Aontu).
LAYTOWN BETTYSTOWN: Electorate: 28,987 / Seats: 7
Sitting Councillors: Paddy Meade (FG); Sharon Tolan (FG); Stephen McKee (FF); Tom Behan (FF); Wayne Harding (FF); Elaine McGinty (Labour); and Independent Geraldine Keogan. (All running again)
Candidates: Maria White (SF), Declan O'Neill (FG) Carol Lennon (Ind) Seamus Lynch (SF) Marjeta Qevani (Ind) Patrick Smith (Ind) Raymond Westlake (Independent Ireland) Cathal Mac Réamoinn (Green Party) and Peter Whelan (Aontu)
ASHBOURNE: Electorate 23,013 / Seats 6
Sitting Councillors: Helen Meyer (SF) Amanda Smith (Ind) Alan Tobin (FG) Conor Tormey (FF) Suzanne Jamal (FG) and Joe Bonner (Ind)
Candidates: Jean Murray (National Party) Charles Bobbett (Ind) Marcin Czekalski (Ind) Martina Eskdale (Green Party) Bryan Mallon (FF) Sivakumar Murugadoss (Ind) Brandon Scott (Aontu) Paul Nolan (Social Democrats) Maria Uí Ruairc (SF) Cathal Ashbourne-Loftus (Ind).
KELLS: Electorate: 27,565 / Seats 7
Sitting Councillors: Mike Bray (FF), Eugene Cassidy (FG), Sean Drew (FF), Michael Gallagher (SF), David Gilroy (IND), Paul McCabe (FF), Sarah Reilly (FG)
Candidates: Peter Caffrey (SF), Cormac Corr (IND), Oliver 'Figgy' Curran (SF), Peter Devin (Aontú), Colm Mac an tSionnaigh (Ind Ireland), Seamus McGee (FG), Paddy Rennick (FF).
9.00: Ok... Our live blog is up and running and the people of Co Meath make their decisions in the Local and European Elections...We'll start Some words of wisdom Meath Chronicle Political Columnist and Virgin Media Political Correspondent, Gavan Reilly.
"If you’re an election aficionado, weekends like the one to come are your Olympics and your Oscars rolled into one. Here’s the good and bad news about it: it’s a marathon, not a spring.
News on Saturday will be slow to emerge. The first thing being done on Saturday morning is the opening of the ballot boxes, and the sorting of the ballot papers to split the European ballots from the local ones. This, alas, will take ages.
"The European ballot boxes then have to be transferred to their regional count centres - Castlebar in the case of Midlands North West – so the Euro counts won’t begin until Sunday morning, as it’ll take that long for the sorted ballot papers to arrive there from the other corners of the mammoth constituency. And, moreover, because no country can report any results until after all of Europe has finished voting, it’ll be Sunday night at 10pm before any First Count can be announced.
"Even at that, given the sheer length of the ballot paper and how many ballots there will be, the two big five-seaters might be working until Monday simply to get a first count, and it could be late Tuesday (even Wednesday?) before they’re done. And meanwhile, counting in the Limerick mayoral doesn’t start until Monday.
"Pace yourselves!"
NOW READ HIS COLUMN...
Gavan Reilly: The six local elections in Meath might well be national bellweathers
7.00 Polling stations across the county have opened and will remain open until 10pm this evening. You can find you local polling station right here