Irish voters choose MPs in Dublin Central and Galway West byelections

Voters in two Irish constituencies are selecting new members of parliament in closely watched byelections held on Friday, May 22. Polls opened at 7 a.m. across Dublin Central and Galway West to fill Dáil seats vacated by former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and former Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who is now President of Ireland.

The contests feature crowded fields, with fourteen candidates running in Dublin Central and seventeen in Galway West. In Dublin Central, candidates include Sinn Féin's Janice Boylan, Fine Gael's Ray McAdam, the Social Democrats' Daniel Ennis, and Independent Gerry Hutch, whose campaign has drawn particular attention. The electorate there stands at 57,619, a reduction from the last general election. In Galway West, where 103,479 are registered to vote, the race appears highly competitive. Recent opinion data indicated a tight contest for first preferences between Fine Gael's Seán Kyne and Independent Ireland's Noel Thomas, with Labour's Helen Ogbu also polling strongly.

Officials reported a slow start to voting in some areas, including at a polling station in the Dublin Central district of Cabra. Anecdotal reports from the constituency in the...