Michael McDowell claims first Seanad seat

The first day of counting for the two university panels finished with one seat filled.

Michael McDowell has retained his seat in the Seanad. File picture: Damien Storan/PA Wire

Michael McDowell is the first person to be elected to the Seanad after reaching the quota in the three-seat National University of Ireland (NUI) panel.

The first count came in shortly after midnight and saw the Independent senator comfortably retain his seat.

Mr McDowell got 11,390 votes on the first count - up 2,500 on his first preference votes in the last Seanad election.

Following Mr McDowell is Rónán Mullen with 7,452 - 1,577 below the quota.

Fellow incumbent Alice Mary Higgins is coming up in third with 6,872.

The remaining candidates are:

• Sandra Adams - 597
• Hilary Beirne - 362 
• Rónán Collins - 2,604 
• Eva Dowling - 3,239 
• Marie Keenan - 1,009 
• Mairead Kenny - 417 
• Dara Kilmartin - 703 
• Michael O'Doherty - 446 
• Linda O'Shea Farren - 1,023 

Mr McDowell's surplus of 2,361 will be distributed when the count in the RDS resumes at 10am on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, in the Dublin University/Trinity College panel, no candidate reached the quota on the first count.

Lynn Ruane received the highest number of first preference votes with 3,761 but fell short of the 4,450 quota.

Ms Ruane is followed by Tom Clonan who claimed 3,473 first preferences and Aubrey McCarthy with 1,814.

The remaining candidates in the three-seat panel are:

• Abbas Ali O'Shea - 55 
• Derek Byrne - 87 
• Kevin Byrne - 495 
• Hazel Chu - 1,450 
• Laoise de Brún - 593 
• Hugo MacNeill - 1,684 
• Marcus Matthews - 186 
• John Mulcahy - 140 
• Paul Mulville - 305 
• Ade Oluborode - 339 
• Sadbh O'Neill - 1,085 
• Ossian Smyth - 1,380 
• Katherine Zappone - 950 

The 55 votes from Mr Ali O'Shea will be distributed when the count at Trinity College resumes at 9am. The counts for the five vocational panels will commence on Thursday morning.