Presidential Election 2025: Cavan-Monaghan- Live Blog
Counting underway at Ballyhaise Agricultural College.
12:20pm: With 250 out of 259 boxes tallied, Heather Humphreys stands at 58.53%, Catherine Connolly at 38.46%, and Jim Gavin on 3.01%, with 11.11% of votes spoiled.
The majority of the remaining boxes left to get tallies from are in Monaghan.
12:02pm: Arts and crafts- in one box- someone spoiled their vote by cutting out and sticking in with Sellotape a picture of Aontú's Maria Steen.
11:50am: Tally as of 11:50 a.m: Heather Humphreys 57.99%, Catherine Connolly 38.88%, and Jim Gavin 3.33%. Spoiled votes now account for 11.39%. A total of 206 boxes have been opened, including 124 from Cavan and 82 from Monaghan.
11:20am: New tally update. The numbers haven't changed at the top. Heather Humphreys is on 58.28%, with Catherine Connolly on 38.60%, and Jim Gavin on 3.11%.
But the number of spoiled votes keeps rising- with 169 boxes opened so far out of 259. The tallied percentage of spoiled votes in Cavan-Monaghan now stands at 11:59%.
11:05am: Lets talk election strategy. The Celt understand that the Fine Gael team behind Heather Humphreys were confident of talking Cavan-Monaghan. Its her heartland- born in Drum, lives in Newbliss, calls Cootehill her second home. Catherine Connolly's team also saw it as a fait accompli, however when Sinn Féin gave her their backing, all that changed. Before that Connolly's presence locally had been negligible. But Sinn Féin's supported added a particular wind to her sails. Sinn Féin has experienced a notable surge in support in Cavan-Monaghan in recent elections. In the 2024 general election, the party secured two seats, with Matt Carthy topping the poll and Cathy Bennett joining him in the Dáil. Their strong showing was attributed to meticulous campaign planning, particularly in key areas like Bailieborough, Cootehill, and Kingscourt. With Sinn Féin mobilising on the ground, posters went up, Mary Lou visited Ballybay and Kingscourt, and Connolly herself arrived to the two counties last Wednesday, launching her latest initiative, 'Future Voices - Guthanna an Todhchaí', at The Diamond in Monaghan Town.
11:02am: It is important to emphasise that tallies are not official. Though, we'll say this about the Sinn Féin team working the numbers, they're rarely that far wrong. Credit where credit is due.
11am: 'The men in denim built this country, the men in suits destroyed it'.
10:56am: The latest tallies from Cavan-Monaghan reflects Heather Humphreys local support and recognition. Catherine Connolly trails, while Jim Gavin remains a distant third. With the count still ongoing, the results may shift slightly, but Humphreys’ clear lead suggests she is poised to secure a decisive victory in Cavan-Monaghan. It might be her only, with national reports indicating a landslide victory in favour of Connolly.
10:50am: The latest tally in Cavan-Monaghan is, unsurprisingly, bucking the national trend- but we knew it would. Heather Humphreys is ahead here on 57.91% with 135 boxes tallied- 79 from Cavan and 56 from Monaghan. Catherine Connolly is on 39.98%, and Jim Gavin is at 3.15%.
10:39am: Interesting to hear the words of former Cavan–Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin- a veritable veteran of the game who was first elected in 1997 (when the count centre was at St Aidan's in Cootehill) and who held his seat through successive elections to Dáil Eireann until 2016. Never before has there been such a concerted effort by Left leaning parties to get a candidate elected and it could be a strategy rolled out elsewhere in future.
10:33am: The rustle of counting papers has now subsided as most of the count staff have gone for a deserved cuppa.
10:11am: St Anne's NS in Bailieborough.
10:10am: St Patrick's Hall in Shercock.
10am: Heather Humphreys is doing exceptionally well in rural ballot boxes. As of 10am the tallies show her stretching that gap between here and Catherine Connolly in Cavan-Monaghan- now 57.15% to just over 40%, with Fianna Fail (or can you still call him that) candidate Jim Gavin on 2.81%.
9:57am: RECAP- With the first 31 ballot boxes opened — 19 from Cavan and 12 from Monaghan — the early shape of the count is beginning to emerge.
Heather Humphreys holds a commanding lead, polling at 56.27%, while Catherine Connolly stands at 41.19%. But behind the headline figure is the number of spoiled votes- running noticeably higher than usual, trending toward 2.5% and more than double the average recorded in previous presidential elections in the constituency.
In total, 141 boxes from Cavan and 118 from Monaghan remain to be opened, meaning much of the count’s outcome is still to unfold.
At the centre of the operation is Returning Officer Joseph Smith, who oversees a team of 62 count staff working methodically to sort, verify, and record each ballot. Supporting them are nearly 30 ancillary workers managing supervision, logistics, and security throughout the hall.
9:50am: With 31 boxes tallied- 19 in Cavan and 12 in Monaghan- Heather Humphreys is on 56.27% and Catherine Connolly is on 41.19%, with the number of spoiled votes trending at close to 2.5%.
9:31am: From one box at St Anne's NS in Bailieborough.
9:30am: One of many spoiled votes.
9:21am: Already there is a tale being told. Quite a number of spoiled votes appearing in the ballots. Its looking like it could be a record number.
9:17am: All the talk here- among the assembled coterie of journalists at least- is about whether the Drum native will turn up at the count centre here at Ballyhaise Agricultural College. As the crow flies its about a 15 minute spin, and could be on here way if she begins the journey to Dublin Castle.
9:16am: If Heather Humphreys is to do well anywhere in the country it has to be here in Cavan-Monaghan. That's the prevailing school of thought anyway. On her own steam in 2020 and 2016 she got more than 12,000 first preferences locally. That's a decent foundation, but will it be enough?
9:15am:
9:12am: As is the case with most election counts in recent years- especially the referendums etc- Sinn Féin tallymen are taking the lead. We'd expect to have the first tentative tallies by mid-morning.
9:11am: There are 62 count staff assigned this weekend, with close to 30 more ancillary workers in supervisory positions.
9:10am: There are 60 polling station in Cavan alone, with 141 ballot boxes in Cavan.
There are 118 ballot boxes from Monaghan.
9:08am: If no candidate meets the quota on first preferences come Saturday, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and their votes are transferred according to next preferences, with keen interest on seeing how any votes for Gavin could influence the final result.
An outcome is expected by Saturday evening and the new president will be formally inaugurated at Dublin Castle days after.
9:05am:
9am: Returning Officer for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency, Joe Smith, has commenced the count.
8:56: In 2018 outgoing President Michael D. Higgins secured the highest number of first-preferences locally with 16,749 (44.3%). Though he won comfortably overall, Cavan-Monaghan was one of Higgins’ weakest in the country.
The region though also stood out for its strong support for independent candidates, where Peter Casey came second with 7,023 votes (18.6%), followed closely by Ballyhaise's own Seán Gallagher with 6,771 votes (17.9%)- his best performance in any constituency nationally.
8:55am: The quota for election is calculated as 50% of valid votes cast plus one.
In the 2018 Irish presidential election, the Cavan–Monaghan constituency recorded a voter turnout of 41.85%, slightly below the national average.
8:45am: Good morning from the count centre at Ballyhaise Agricultural College. The doors are open, count staff are taking their seats and the tallymen have that look in their eyes. The first boxes will be opened at 9am.