Juno McEnroe: The bellwether tallies to keep your eye on

The late Noel Whelan, a skilful political commentator and Dáil number cruncher, once remarked that the analysis of election counts inevitably moves quickly, often glossing over the importance of early seat wins — irrespective of how dramatic they can be for parties.

The late Noel Whelan, a skillful political commentator and Dáil number cruncher, once remarked that the analysis of election counts inevitably moves quickly, often glossing over the importance of early seat wins — irrespective of how dramatic they can be for parties.

Whelan, who passed away last July and who is greatly missed at these times, was phenomenally skilled at drilling down into core numbers, transfers, and seat races, often predicting the national trends before they played out.