Galway's Alice Mary Higgins and Rónán Mullen returned to the Seanad as vocational panels count begins with 13 Galway candidates

Counting is underway in the Seanad election for the vocational panels, with 13 Galway names in the mix.

Earlier today in another strand of the Seanad election Rónán Mullen and Alice Mary Higgins were returned to the senate

They contested the National University of Ireland panel, where Independent Senator Michael McDowell was the first person elected to the new Seanad after topping the poll just after midnight.