We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
SINN FÉIN COULD take three European Parliament seats and Fine Gael four as Labour face a whitewash according to the latest exit poll figures.
RTÉ’s exit poll shows that Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan, Fianna Fáil’s Brian Crowley and Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan are pulling in the biggest first preferences shares in Dublin, South and Midlands North West respectively.
In Dublin, Lynn Boylan is polling at 24 per cent, clearly ahead of Fine Gael’s Brian Hayes and Eamon Ryan of the Green Party at 14 per cent.
Fianna Fáil’s Mary Fitzpatrick is polling at 12 per cent, way below the party’s national share of 22 per cent according to to the same poll.
Ahead of any facts coming in as yet, three sitting MEP’s could be in danger of losing out in the capital. Nessa Childers (11 per cent), Emer Costello (8 per cent) and Paul Murphy (7 per cent).
In the South constituency, sitting MEP Brian Crowley leads the pack in the exit poll at 26 per cent, ahead of SF’S Liadh Ní Riada at 17 per cent. FG’s three candidates of Seán Kelly, Deirdre Clune and Simon Harris are lining up behind them in the four seater in that order.
FG’s strategy of running three candidates to win possibly two seats was a source of debate within the party and how their transfers work out between them will prove crucial when the European results are released tomorrow night.
A number of the party’s ministers including Frances Fitzgerald and Phil Hogan have both said that their party is well in the hunt for two seats.
Luke Ming Flanagan / TwitterRTE frantically ringing my phone. I'm busy. #EuroMing
— Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (@lukeming) May 24, 2014
In the final geographically vast Midlands North West area, Independent Dáil deputy Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan appears to be mirroring the success of Independents nationally, garnering 20 per cent of the vote.
The exit poll shows sitting MEP Maireád McGuinness running at 16 per cent with SF’s Matt Carty at 13 per cent. FF’s Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher and Marian Harkin appear to be running neck-and-neck at 11 per cent.
If you add FF’s Thomas Byrne into the mix, there are five candidates within six per cent of each other meaning that the picture is far from clear before the votes starts coming in.
LIVEBLOG: Local election results 2014 >
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
That’ll be handy for Ming being closer to Amsterdam
First we send Dustin to represent us in Europe, now we are sendin Ming!! We are some craic!
Ming will have two pensions now..do you think he will give one of them up?
Delighted for Ming. The blueshirts will be crying into their bacon and cabbage this evening at the thought of him romping home in the European elections.
He gives half of his wages now to charity in fairness
As far as dustin and the euro vision well who really gives a wicked crap.
Now as far a Ming goes, well he’s a very educated person with a hell of a lot more to offer than the vast amount of Fine Gael Fianna Fáil or labour arse holes that have been shafting us for decades. The more Ming flanagans we have the better. Sensible people that are in touch with ordinary people and the problems facing them every waking second.
The ‘blueshirts’ to use your pejorative term will be delighted, as he will be useless in Europe because his vision extends as far as sods of turf and ‘glasses of p!ss’. (His words in our national parliament)
He is now out if the way and the byelection is an opportunity locally to win a seat or blood someone for the next election.
It is ironic that someone who is anti-EU is seeking to take a role there, amongst the hundreds of other members, and shouting, barracking and schoolyard tactics don’t really work there, because it is a more mature parliament than the Dáil.
He will disappear into the EU oblivion …
Yea better to have some dope blaming the irish for the crash at a world economic forum..aka enda
Is there two Ming Flanagans? I thought we were talking about the one who thinks that not being allowed to cut turf is comparable to the holocaust
You don’t get a TD’s pension until you are re-elected. Lots of digs towards Ming here for no good reason, if he was in it for the money would he be putting 60% of his td salary into 3 separate charities every year since he was elected.
Bothers you, does it?
Good.
Yes , he already donates half of his wages
It’s a figure of speech. Laws are made by men and laws change.
U will have to wait till he recieves his pension before we will know that.50 percent of his pay already goes to charity.sad comment u need to try harder
Larry you are some narrow minded dope.
Ming Flanagan has done more for this country than Fianna Fáil, Labour and Fine Gael have put together.
FACT
Poor Lorraine Higgins must be sick, lol
Norman
That type of comment is nasty and typical of both an unpleasant character and a lack of integrity. At least people like Lorraine and many others who will fail to win a seat in these Elections have put themselves forward within a Democracy to be of service .
By comparison your behaviour as an armchair warrior is disgusting!
Lol. No extra gravy for Lorraine.
Richie, Lorraine engaged in bullying behaviour by tweeting a photo shopped picture of Ming, I’m glad to say it backfired.Not a good day for the government parties wouldn’t you agree?
& Ming has a history of engaging in miss Piggy comments he has no moral high ground on the matter. Both are as bad as each other
That was Mick Wallace
Oh Dicky dicky dicky. Not a good day old bean. But then again I wouldn’t expect someone like to yourself not to see it coming. Head in the sand and all that. 24th may…Independents day
Norman
I am not engaging with you beyond the comments about candidates who fail to win or lose seats having a very difficult day when the poll results are announced. Your gleeful comments merely highlight you shortcomings in the areas of decency and integrity. I really don’t care how many roving Sinn Fein warriors rush to your defence. That is also unsurprising.
Lets all laugh at Labour.
Na na na na…
Richie, ah must be terrible to see people like Ming romp across the finish line, get used to it more to come.lol
Btw don’t get the Shinner reference care to explain?
You’d have better chance of finding a saskewatch that getting a reply from Dicky
Just LOL @Dick
Let’s all laugh at Richard Rogers (or whatever his real name is )!!! Lol..
Richard, didn’t you say the other day you weren’t even voting because you were not registered… The least you can do now is congratulate the great number of us that did vote.
If only you were a stand up comedian… Your comments never fail to amuse me
Richard Rodgers – The falsie , who insults and lectures us here every day that we should dare to be good Republicans . Total hypocritical Blueshirt FG Troll, whose predictions of the demise of SF , together with all his porkies has come so unstuck !
However , today is only the beginning . In a few years time SF will be the biggest vote getting Political Party in the whole of our 32 Counties of Ireland !
The fact that your parties policies has destroyed the Labour Party , your Coalition partners , cannot give you any satisfaction either ?
I told you weeks ago , that it would be a wonderful day from today for Republicanism and you predicted the total opposite !
Just shows what a hopelessly smug and inaccurate judge of Politics that you truly are !
Here ya go, Richie.
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoflower/64307/15113/15113_600.gif
Seamus
Aw shucks you have a heart after all.
Considering she personally attacked luke she deserves what she gets
God Lorraine Higgins just a big mouth, personal I think she made a show of herself on the Vincent Brown show.
Looks like her wiki page has already been updated
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorraine_Higgins#European_politics
She called Ming a turkey and today she get the answer that people would sooner send a turkey to Europe that her
I think that says what need to be said about Lorraine Higgins
Brian Crowley?
I just don’t get it.
Brain Crowley does nothin in cork but the women love him. Pathetic
People are jealous of Ming ..fact !
The people have spoken!
Is the government listening?
Roll on the general elections.
Fair play to Ming. He’s someone who works for his constituents and the people of Ireland. A lot of of sickened career politicians… And journal readers!!!
Looking forward to following Ming’s EP career
Yes. Like him or not, at least he is able to bring peoples concerns to the table and not told to shut up, do as you are told and follow the party line.
Looks like Dublin is going to continue to be a Fianna Fail and TD and MEP free zone!
All good Reg.
A cllr here, a cllr there.
Does FF need to start a fresh, new ideas, new political vision and reorganization, new name?
Getting 12% in a Euro election up against mostly unknown opponents and micro parties is not an achievement to boast about.
We are going to be taking up as many seats as the People before Profit.
Is there a point at this stage.
at least Mary is back in Blackrock well done people of that ward.
Struggling to understanding personally how FG are getting such high votes, again the Irish will repp what they so,
Sinn Fein, going European romping away.
Richard Rogers, you are by far more offensive towards Norman, you have called him nasty unpleasant disgusting and lacking in integrity a bit much, people in glass houses ect ect….
Collette I get the same. But I know why. You see Dicky Rogers is aloof. He doesn’t think anyone comes up to his level, when the fact is that he is no where near our level. He’s way below. When we argue with him, he insults us because he is incapable of proper discussion.
Whenever I see Mings name mentioned I automatically think of pot smoking hippies..
So does ming
But he ain’t a gangster so I like him
Absolutely delighted with the SF polling so far. The Blueshirts and Fianna Failures got a bit excited this morning with the RTÉ exit poll. Looking foolish now. SF gaining new representation at all corners of the country. Just look at Dublin City council, 15 standing and 13 potentially being elected. Incredible transformation for the party.
Why don’t you people abstain from the European Parliament like you do from Westminster?
You want the North out of the UK, you want us out of the EU, so what gives?
We want Ireland out of the E.U? That’s news to me. Times have changed.
A Sinn Féin supporter in denial about his party’s history? Hold the front page
Etienne you’re just sore because Ronan Mullan and Theresa Heaney didn’t get elected
Go minger
Why is the media still talking about exit polls when there are some good tallies available that are showing a trend. Dont think the exit polls are reliable from the tallies ive heard.
Great news for the independents.. Now let’s finish the parties off in the GE in 2016.. End the power monopoly.. Give the people back their say..
Bring in Flash Gordan
Ming says release war rocket Ajax!
What an outcome !!
C’mon Marian Harkin
I rue the day that Sinn Fein get into government, the Irish equivalent to UKIP
Lol. What is theJournal , The SF press office. Carthy will have a difficult time getting transfers and only has 13 per cent of the vote. Reaction on twitter is that people clearly expected him to do better. That’s two headlines in a few hours that are totally one sided and pro shinner
Blueshirts very upset? Carthy has a great chance. Transfers are very unpredictable. A lot of counting yet to do.
You keep saying “blue shirts” but you all get very upset when anyone points out that Gerry Adams was definitely a Provo, whereas no-one in Fine Gael was a blueshirt
So it was Sinn Fein that fecked the country up, was it Monty?
Big change
People give out stink about how this country is run, then vote in that Roscommon plank Luke Ming…….
Hope she takes down all her posters quick sick looking at her mug .
Local Govt needs funding,The National one says raise Ur own in band plus/minus 15 per cent ex property tax. If you raise it ,the property tax payers will not be best pleased,if you lower it the left won’t be able to provide promised services. Hobson’s choice?
have your say