Sean Defoe

I will bring you all the latest through the weekend on News Talk through our reporters in the constituencies.

And that's where we're starting this morning.

We're going to go now to the RDS where our chief reporter Barry White is there.

Obviously, Barry, early days yet, boxes literally only just opened.

But what's the atmosphere like there and any news from Dublin Central so far?

Sean, good morning.

Yeah, look, counting is literally now just underway in the Dublin Central by-election for the Dáil seat vacated by former Fine Gael Finance Minister Pascal Donoghue.

Ballot boxes just opened six minutes ago following voting yesterday between 7am and 10pm.

There is quite a buzz here.

There's a lot of talliers from the Sock Dems.

There's a lot of people tallying for Sinn Féin.

There's a lot of people tallying for Fine Gael.

I was actually quite surprised with the crowd here in the RDS when they opened the doors at 9am.

So there is quite a buzz here.

But I suppose the big story here, Sean, overnight has been turnout, or lack of it.

Dublin Central has been traditionally recorded lower turnouts than many other constituencies, and by-elections generally see participation fall even further.

By close of polls last night, turnout was estimated at around just 39%, significantly down on the 52% recorded in the 2024 general election.

Participation has varied across the constituency, with turnout reportedly as high as 52% in Drumcondra and parts of Cabra, but falling to just 25% in parts of the north inner city.

So the electorate here has also fallen by more than 5,000 since the last general election, following a recent electoral commission campaign to remove duplicate entries, as well as voters who had emigrated or died.

So that leaves an electorate of almost 58,000 people here.