Copyright thejournal
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. One-off amount I already contribute 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. Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Catherine Connolly and Heather HumphreysRollingNews.ie LIVE: Early tallies put Connolly on course for landslide win over Humphreys Follow along for all the latest here. 8.00am, 25 Oct 2025 Share options LAST UPDATE 15 mins ago GOOD MORNING AND welcome to our live coverage of counting day in Ireland’s Presidential election. Ballot boxes from all 43 constituencies have been secured overnight and, as of 9am, are being opened across 32 count centres. Early tallies are now coming through, and the momentum is clearly behind Catherine Connolly, who looks set to win a landslide victory over Heather Humphreys. Official results may not be declared until late afternoon, though reports yesterday suggested a sluggish overall turnout. We’ll bring you live updates, tallies, reaction, and results as they come in throughout the day. The votes have been cast, but when will we know the offical result? Election centre Here’s a breakdown of how the votes in Cork are going so far. Cork city so far: Cork North Central constituency. Four boxes tallied. CC at 68%. Electorate: 102072. Cork South Central 19 boxes tallied. Electorate: 103337@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/AZn8M3lwJt— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) October 25, 2025 Here’s a ballot from Ballymun in Dublin, where, surprisingly, they are keeping track of the total number of votes for Nick Delehanty and Maria Steen - both of whom sought nominations but were not on the ballot yesterday. Catherine Connolly is well ahead of Heather Humphreys here. Emma Hickey / The Journal Emma Hickey / The Journal / The Journal Catherine Connolly in uachtar ar fad, taobh leis na vótaí millte, i mBÁC Theas-Lár.@NuachtTG4 #Aras25 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/El7hosWmce— Donncha Ó Murchú (@Donnchaom) October 25, 2025 Fine Gael TD and Enterprise Minister Peter Burke paid tribute to Heather Humphreys’ campaign on RTÉ Radio, calling her “a very genuine, warm person” who stepped into the race at short notice. He also acknowledged Catherine Connolly and the movement behind her campaign. On why Humphreys didn’t win, he noted the election was unusual, with a small field and last-minute changes, and said a review will follow internally. He also highlighted that Fine Gael was the “only party to put forward a candidate”. 12 mins ago Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Labour leader Ivana Bacik described early results as “incredibly positive” for Catherine Connolly. She shared that in her own constituency, Dublin Bay South, one box she tallied showed 68% of first-preference votes for Connolly, with spoilt votes far behind. Bacik praised Connolly and her campaign team, saying the “energy and momentum” of the campaign had been phenomenal and suggested the result points to a “resounding victory” for Connolly and her vision. 18 mins ago Massive vote for @catherinegalway in Donegal. Some polling stations showing Catherine taking more than 10 times the votes of Humphreys. #Aras25 pic.twitter.com/8fheD4xS4X— Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) October 25, 2025 20 mins ago Emma Hickey is reporting from the count centre in Dublin: One tally woman at Dublin Bay North told The Journal that Connolly is well ahead over the two boxes tallied so far. On spoiled votes, she said, “The level of spoiled votes – I’ve never seen anything like it. People writing all over [the ballot] and the level of vitriol coming off it.” Some ballots are simply X-ed or have things like “No candidate represents me”, “Spoiled”, or have previous hopeful candidates such as Maria Steen and Nick Delehanty written in. Others have long messages and curse words written down the paper. “I’ve tallied four elections now and this is different to anything I’ve seen before,” she said. 21 mins ago It’s bad news for Humphreys – in some of the boxes tallied so far, she’s tracking behind the total number of spoiled votes (and well behind Catherine Connolly). 106 spoiled votes out of a tally of 300 votes in Dublin South Central… pic.twitter.com/48YDFYMIRq— Jennifer Bray (@Jennifer_Bray) October 25, 2025 28 mins ago Here’s a very polite spoiled vote in Dublin. A spoiled vote from Dublin Bay North with a nice message for count staff pic.twitter.com/0sIqcE5uwT— Emma Hickey (@emma_hickey1) October 25, 2025 30 mins ago In Cork and Dublin, the story seems to be the same – it’s going for Connolly. Emma Hickey / The Journal Emma Hickey / The Journal / The Journal There also appears to be a significant number of spoiled votes in some electoral areas. Immediate indications are that it is Connolly number ones very much ahead of Humphreys. Spoiled votes small in number from what I can see in Cork. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/Hcb1wU4JwX— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) October 25, 2025 33 mins ago The Journal / YouTube 34 mins ago Counting is also underway at the Nemo Rangers GAA Club in Cork, where ballot boxes have now been opened. Niall O'Connor / The Journal Niall O'Connor / The Journal / The Journal Local Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire was spotted keeping an eye on the tally this morning. Niall O'Connor / The Journal Niall O'Connor / The Journal / The Journal 40 mins ago Here’s a picture of one of the blank tally sheets that RDS count staff are working with for the count. As well as columns for Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys, there are also (albeit smaller) columns for Jim Gavin and spoiled votes. Emma Hickey / The Journal Emma Hickey / The Journal / The Journal 47 mins ago It’s 9am – meaning ballot boxes are now being opened in the 32 count centres across the country. Counting will get underway shortly after. So what was the turnout like yesterday? Quite low it seems, possibly even historically so. While there were some outliers (the townland of Darver, Co Louth clocked an impressive 73% turnout), many polling stations nationwide struggled to surpass 40% turnout. Turnout in Dublin City was just 38.12% of the electorate. We won’t know the total nationwide turnout until official figures become available later today. Dublin City’s count centre at the RDS is still relatively quiet this morning. Emma Hickey / The Journal Emma Hickey / The Journal / The Journal Counting is due to begin in less than half an hour at the site. Emma Hickey / The Journal Emma Hickey / The Journal / The Journal Looking to catch up on all the presidential election news ahead of the count today? Check out our election centre here. Election Centre In case you missed it yesterday, some voters in Co Tipperary cast their ballots at a polling station in a private home, where they were treated to apple and rhubarb tarts with tea or coffee after voting. James Seymour James Seymour The house, run by local man Séan O’Donovan, has been used for years when no public building was available, and the tradition even includes a bit of music once the ballot box is collected. It’s said to have a very high turnout — and the rhubarb tart is popular too. James Seymour James Seymour So just how soon will we find out the result of the first count? It’s hard to tell – given the low turnout and the fact that there were only three candidates, it may be a quick enough process. First count results are usually available by late afternoon, with the national total announced later that evening. Rolling News Rolling News A lower turnout and fewer candidates could speed things up, but early tallies will still offer the best indication of how the election is unfolding. If the turnout is similar to what it was in 2018 – and most indications point to a low turnout – we could know who the next president will be by around 7pm this evening or even earlier. Got any questions on the sorting of the votes, the counting, turnout or spoiled votes? Our own Rónán Duffy has you covered with the handy explainer this morning. Here we go – counting is set to get under way this morning, with ballot boxes due to open at 9am across 32 count centres around the country. We’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day as votes are sorted, tallies emerge, and the first official results begin to come in. Advertisement Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal The Journal Team Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “LIVE: Early tallies put Connolly on course for landslide win over Humphreys”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “LIVE: Early tallies put Connolly on course for landslide win over Humphreys”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... Catherine Connolly Heather Humphreys News in 60 seconds The Morning Lead Ireland's next president: The votes have been cast, but when will we know the offical result? Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight kill at least three people and wound 17 others 25 mins ago Good Morning The 9 at 9: Saturday 39 mins ago Sex Offender Manhunt continues in England for asylum seeker released from prison by mistake Ronald Reagan Trump says he can play 'dirtier' than Canada in row over anti-tariff ad Larry Donnelly: Online engagement and a united left transformed Catherine Connolly's Áras chances Bank Holiday Weather expected to turn cold this bank holiday weekend As it happened Áras election turnout quite low as polls near close Dublin city centre Gardaí called as Mary Lou McDonald and canvassers threatened on Dublin street The Daily Poll Would you have voted for Bob Geldof had he been on the ballot? Ireland v Belgium, Nations League play-offs more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online
