No Athlone senators as local candidates are eliminated

The Athlone area of Westmeath is now definitively without an Oireachtas member after the area's last hope of a seat bowed out last night.

Cllr Aengus O'Rourke had been contesting the Seanad election for the Labour panel but was eliminated on the 12th count after a credible showing.

On Monday night, outgoing senator Gabrielle McFadden also failed to be elected. She was contesting the Culture and Educational panel.

The absence of a Senator from the Athlone area of Westmeath comes in the wake of the loss of TD status in the town.

Deputy Denis Naughten, who is from Drum, represents the Roscommon/Galway constituency in the Dail.

He will be joined in the Oireachtas by Fianna Fail's Eugene Murphy who secured his election to the Seanad on the Agricultural panel on Tuesday night, having lost his Dail seat recently.

And Kilbeggan's Paul Daly was re-elected to the Seanad for the same party also from the Agricultural panel.

There was no luck, however, for Ballinasloe-based Cllr Aisling Dolan and Roscommon's Cllr Orla Leyden.

The Green Party's Pippa Hackett, who is based in Geashill in North Offaly, did secure a Seanad seat.

The counting of votes in the Industrial and Commercial panel, which includes outgoing Mullingar-based senator Aidan Davitt is taking place this morning (Thursday).