Independent TD Clare Daly has won Dublin’s third seat in the European Parliament after the counting of votes finished at the RDS count centre.

The seat had been the subject of a legal wrangle between her and Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews last night and this morning as the transfer and redistribution of votes entered the final stages.

The row centred on the transfer of votes from Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan who was eliminated today.

Dublin was originally a three seat constituency but will get a fourth seat in the European Parliament after Britain leaves the EU.

Normally transfers from the final elimination do not come into play as the remaining candidates are deemed elected.

However, the so-called ‘cold storage’ seat, which will now go to Mr Andrews, only comes into play once Brexit happens – potentially some time this summer or as far away as October 31.

Returning officer Fergus Gallagher eventually decided to redistribute Ms Boylan’s votes after her elimination. This made it possible to determine a final count for each candidate using all the available votes.

Clare Daly described herself as “gobsmacked” after being elected as an MEP for Dublin.

She promised to use her voice in Brussels in the same way as she has in Dublin .

The now outgoing TD said she would be “a speaker out for change and rattle the cages of those in authority”.

Afterwards, Mr Andrews reflected on the end of a very competitive campaign, thanking his staff and his wife Sinead.

“I am really honoured to have won a seat back in the national capital for Fianna Fáil in the capital for the first time in 15 years,” he said.

“I want to congratulate Clare for running a fair and robust campaign.”

More to follow…

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