David Clarke impressed for Ballina Stephenites in their Mayo GAA Senior Club Football Championship final against Westport in MacHale Park, Castlebar. Pic: Sportsfile
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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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Ballina based Fine Gael councillor Mark Duffy.
MAYO county councillor Mark Duffy is in a strong position to take a seat in Seanad Éireann following the first count of the Labour vocational panel in the Seanad elections.
The Ballina-based Fine Gael councillor polled 76,000 first reference votes following the first count which puts him 19,751 votes short of the quota of 95,751.
Sitting Fianna Fáil senator Robbie Gallagher from Monaghan was elected on the first count after receiving 115,000 first preference votes while Independent senator Gerard Craughwell is set to be reelected after polling 95,000.
READ: Planning refused for 24-hour gym in west Mayo
Former Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews, who lost his Dáil seat in November's General Election and Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats) are both on 94,000 following the first count with Maria McCormack on 90,000.
Senator Gallagher's surplus is currently being distributed at the count centre in the RDS in Dublin.
Ballina-based Fine Gael councillor Mark Duffy is the only Mayo-based candidate running in this year's Seanad Elections with counting in the other vocational panels taking place over the weekend.
Cllr Duffy, who ran for Fine Gael in November's General Election, is one of 19 candidates standing in the Labour panel where eleven seats are up for grabs. Just five of the eleven sitting senators are seeking reelection.
There are five vocational panels where 43 of the 60 Seanad seats are elected with members of the incoming Dáil, members of the outgoing Seanad and members of county councils and city councils all eligible to vote in them. There are eleven seats each to be filled on the Agricultural and Labour Panels, nine on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, seven on the Administrative Panel and five on the Cultural and Education Panel.
The seats on the Cultural and Education Panel and the Agriculture Panel have been filled.
The total electorate is made up of Dáil deputies, outgoing senators and city and county councillors and for counting purposes each vote is multiplied by 1,000.
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