McEntee on course to win seat

Fine Gael’s Helen McEntee looks set to take the Dáil seat left vacant by the tragic death of her father before Christmas.

According to tallies, the 26-year-old daughter of the late Deputy Shane McEntee polled an impressive 38.41 per cent, which most parties agree should see her elected later today.

There were emotional scenes as she arrived at the count centre in Ashbourne around lunchtime, followed shortly afterwards by Fianna Fáil’s Senator Thomas Byrne, whose tally figures show him at 33.43 per cent.

Sinn Féin’s Darren O’Rourke appears to be in third place at 12.92 per cent, while the big shock of the day is Labour candidate Eoin Holmes ’ vote which has been tallied at just 3.9 per cent, behind Direct Democracy Ireland’s Ben Gilroy who is believed to have polled a remarkable 6.55 per cent on the party’s first electoral outing.