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2025 Seanad election
← outgoing members elected members →
60 members of the Seanad Éireann; 30 seats needed for a majority
Incumbent Leader of the Seanad; Lisa Chambers; Fianna Fáil	; ;

An indirect election to the 27th Seanad is taking place in January 2025, following the 2024 general election to the 34th Dáil in November 2024. Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas, with Dáil Éireann as its lower house. There are 60 seats in the Seanad. Polls will close for six senators elected in two university constituencies on 29 January and for 43 senators elected on five vocational panels on 30 January; the remaining 11 senators are to be nominated by the taoiseach.

Background

The Constitution of Ireland provides that a Seanad election must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the Dáil Éireann. The 33rd Dáil was dissolved on 8 November 2024.^[1] On 15 November 2024, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Darragh O'Brien, signed an order for the Seanad elections, providing 29 January as the deadline for ballots for the vocational panels and 30 January as the deadline for ballots in the university constituencies.^[2]

Electoral system

There are 60 seats in the Seanad, each elected via one of three methods: direct election via voters who are university graduates, indirect election via a body of other previously elected politicians, or appointment by the Taoiseach.

All votes are cast by postal ballot, and are counted using the single transferable vote. Under this system, voters can rank candidates in order of their preference (1 as their first preference, 2 for second preference, and so on). In counting votes for the vocational panels, ballots are initially given a value of 1,000 to allow calculation of quotas where all ballots are distributed in the case of a surplus, rather than taking a representative sample as is done in counting votes for the university constituencies or Dáil elections. The quota for election is given as $\left({\frac {\text{total valid poll}}{{\text{seats}}+1}}\right)+1$ .

University constituencies

Six senators are directly elected from two university constituencies: three from the National University constituency and three from the Dublin University (Trinity College Dublin) constituency.^[3] This will be the last general election from these constituencies. Under the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024, at the next Seanad general election held after 21 March 2025, they will be substituted by a new six-seat Higher Education constituency.^[4] This legislation was enacted in response to the judgment of the Supreme Court in Heneghan v Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (2023).

Vocational panels

Forty-three senators are indirectly elected by an electorate of elected politicians, consisting of members of the incoming 34th Dáil, members of the outgoing 26th Seanad, and currently sitting city and county councillors, who have ballots for each of the five vocational panels.^[5]^[6] The Seanad Returning Officer maintains a list of qualified nominating bodies for each panel.^[7] Candidates may be nominated by nominating bodies (outside sub-panel) or by members of the Oireachtas (inside sub-panel). In each vocational panel, there is a minimum number who must be elected from either the inside or the outside sub-panel. If the number of candidates nominated for each sub-panel does not exceed by two the maximum number which may be elected from that sub-panel, the Taoiseach shall nominate candidates to fill the deficiency.^[8]

Electors for the panels elect:^[9]

Seven seats from the Administrative Panel, with a minimum of three from inside and outside sub-panels: Public administration and social services (including the voluntary sector).
Eleven seats from the Agricultural Panel, with a minimum of four: Agriculture and the fisheries.
Five seats from the Cultural and Educational Panel, with a minimum of two: Education, the arts, the Irish language and Irish culture and literature.
Nine seats from the Industrial and Commercial Panel, with a minimum of three: Industry and commerce (including engineering and architecture).
Eleven seats from the Labour Panel, with a minimum of four: Labour (organised or otherwise).

Appointment

The 11 nominated senators are appointed by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the meeting of Dáil Éireann.

Members of the outgoing Seanad not seeking election

Date confirmed	Constituency	Departing senator		Reason
4 September 2024	Labour Panel	Shane Cassells	Fianna Fáil	Retirement^[10]
30 November 2024	Industrial and Commercial Panel	Catherine Ardagh	Fianna Fáil	Elected to 34th Dáil
	Labour Panel	Jerry Buttimer	Fine Gael
	Cultural and Educational Panel	Malcolm Byrne	Fianna Fáil
	Industrial and Commercial Panel	Micheál Carrigy	Fine Gael
	Labour Panel	John Cummins	Fine Gael
	Nominated by the Taoiseach	Emer Currie	Fine Gael
	Nominated by the Taoiseach	Timmy Dooley	Fianna Fáil
	Nominated by the Taoiseach	Erin McGreehan	Fianna Fáil
	Labour Panel	Marie Sherlock	Labour
	Industrial and Commercial Panel	Mark Wall	Labour
	Industrial and Commercial Panel	Barry Ward	Fine Gael
18 December 2024	Nominated by the Taoiseach	Róisín Garvey	Green	Retirement^[11]^[12]
	Agricultural Panel	Pippa Hackett	Green
	Cultural and Educational Panel	John McGahon	Fine Gael
	Nominated by the Taoiseach	Vincent P. Martin	Green
	Labour Panel	Pauline O'Reilly	Green
	Cultural and Educational Panel	Fintan Warfield	Sinn Féin
24 December 2024	Agricultural Panel	Paddy Burke^[13]	Fine Gael
31 December 2024	Administrative Panel	Rebecca Moynihan	Labour
	Agricultural Panel	Annie Hoey	Labour
	Administrative Panel	Mal O'Hara	Green
	Agricultural Panel	Denis O'Donovan	Fianna Fáil
	Labour Panel	Paul Gavan	Sinn Féin
2 January 2025	Labour Panel	Ned O'Sullivan^[14]	Fianna Fáil
7 January 2025	Cultural and Educational Panel	Lisa Chambers^[15]	Fianna Fáil

Election process

Timetable of 2025 Seanad election
Deadline	Universities	Vocational Panel
Nominations close	6 December 2024	18 December 2024 ("outside" panel: nominating bodies — civic society groups) 31 December 2024 ("inside" panel: Oireachtas members)
Completion of panels	—	8 January 2025
Ballot papers distributed	30 December 2024	15 January 2025
Polls close	29 January 2025, 11 a.m.	30 January 2025, 11 a.m.

Results

^ *: Outgoing Senator

National University of Ireland

2025 Seanad election: National University^[16]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Independent	Sandra Adams
	Independent	Hilary Beirne
	Independent	Rónán Collins
	Green	Eva Dowling
	Independent	Alice-Mary Higgins^[*]
	Independent	Marie Keenan
	Independent	Mairead Kenny
	Independent	Dara Kilmartin
	Independent	Michael McDowell^[*]
	Independent	Rónán Mullen^[*]
	Independent	Michael O'Doherty
	Independent	Linda O'Shea Farren
Quota:

Dublin University

2025 Seanad election: Dublin University^[17]
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Independent	Abbas Ali O'Shea
	Independent	Derek Byrne
	Independent	Kevin Byrne
	Green	Hazel Chu
	Independent	Tom Clonan^[*]
	Independent	Laoise De Brún
	Independent	Hugo MacNeill
	Independent	Marcus Matthews
	Independent	Aubrey McCarthy
	Independent	Jack Mulcahy
	Social Democrats	Paul Mulville
	Independent	Ade Oluborode
	Labour	Sadhbh O'Neill
	Independent	Lynn Ruane^[*]
	Green	Ossian Smyth
	Independent	Katherine Zappone
Quota:

Administrative Panel

2025 Seanad election: Administrative Panel
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Fine Gael	Garret Ahearn^[*]
	Fine Gael	Conor Bergin
	Independent	Cathal Berry
	Independent	Joan Carthy
	Fine Gael	Vicki Casserly
	Fine Gael	Martin Conway^[*]
	Fianna Fáil	Mark Daly^[*]
	Independent	Ann Marie Flanagan
	Independent	Eileen Flynn^[*]
	Fine Gael	Niamh Madden
	Independent	Richard Molloy
	Labour	Darragh Moriarty
	Fianna Fáil	Justin Moylan
	Independent	Eugene Murphy^[*]
	Fine Gael	Noel O'Donovan
	Fianna Fáil	Fiona O'Loughlin^[*]
	Sinn Féin	Nicole Ryan
	Fianna Fáil	Diarmuid Wilson^[*]
Quota:

Agricultural Panel

2025 Seanad election: Agricultural Panel
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Fianna Fáil	Niall Blaney^[*]
	Independent	Victor Boyhan^[*]
	Fine Gael	Paraic Brady
	Fine Gael	Maria Byrne^[*]
	Sinn Féin	Joanne Collins
	Fianna Fáil	Teresa Costello
	Fianna Fáil	Gillian Coughlan
	Fianna Fáil	Paul Daly^[*]
	Independent	Matt Dempsey
	Fine Gael	Aisling Dolan^[*]
	Fine Gael	Tim Durkan
	Labour	Angela Feeney
	Fianna Fáil	Breandán Fitzgerald
	Fianna Fáil	Pat Fitzpatrick
	Fianna Fáil	Imelda Goldsboro
	Fianna Fáil	Cillian Keane
	Fianna Fáil	Niall Kelleher
	Fine Gael	Tim Lombard^[*]
	Fine Gael	Eileen Lynch
	Fine Gael	Gerry McMunn
	Fine Gael	John McNulty
	Independent	Eugene Murphy^[*]
	Fine Gael	P.J. Murphy
	Green	Malcolm Noonan
	Aontú	Sarah O'Reilly
	Fianna Fáil	Paddy O'Rourke
	Fianna Fáil	Michael D. O'Shea
	Independent Ireland	Noel Thomas
Quota:

Cultural and Educational Panel

2025 Seanad election: Cultural and Educational Panel
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Fine Gael	Carmel Brady
	Fine Gael	Cathal Byrne
	Fianna Fáil	Lorraine Clifford-Lee^[*]
	Independent	Joe Conway
	Fianna Fáil	Teresa Costello
	Fianna Fáil	Shane Curley
	Fianna Fáil	Joe Flaherty^[*]
	Independent	Angela Flynn
	Independent	Michelle Hayes
	Independent	Imran Khurshid
	Fine Gael	Seán Kyne^[*]
	Independent	Máirín McGrath
	Independent	Kensika Monshengwo
	Fianna Fáil	Gearóid Murphy
	Independent	Éanna Ní Lamhna
	Independent	Liadh Ní Riada
	Fine Gael	Shane O'Callaghan
	Fianna Fáil	Rob Power
	Independent	Sabina Purcell
	Fianna Fáil	Mikey Sheehy
	Sinn Féin	Pauline Tully
Quota:

Industrial and Commercial Panel

2025 Seanad election: Industrial and Commercial Panel
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Independent	Frances Black^[*]
	Fine Gael	Declan Burgess
	Fine Gael	Danny Byrne
	Fianna Fáil	Ollie Crowe^[*]
	Fianna Fáil	Aidan Davitt^[*]
	Independent	Adrian Cummins
	Fine Gael	Alan Farrell^[*]
	Fianna Fáil	Kate Feeney
	Fine Gael	David Fitzgerald
	Fianna Fáil	Mary Fitzpatrick^[*]
	Independent	Vanessa Foran
	Labour	Laura Harmon
	Social Democrats	Joan Hopkins
	Fianna Fáil	Gerry Horkan^[*]
	Fine Gael	Garret Kelleher
	Independent	Joe Kelly
	Independent	Sharon Keogan^[*]
	Independent	Donal Kissane
	Fianna Fáil	Sinéad Lucey Brennan
	Fine Gael	Tony Mulcahy
	Sinn Féin	Conor Murphy
	Fianna Fáil	Michael Naughton
	Fine Gael	Linda Nelson Murray
	Independent	David Pratt
	Fianna Fáil	Dee Ryan
	Fine Gael	Mary Seery Kearney^[*]
	Independent	Matt Shanahan
Quota:

Labour Panel

2025 Seanad election: Labour Panel
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
Party		Candidate	FPv%	1
	Sinn Féin	Chris Andrews
	Fine Gael	Leonora Carey
	Fianna Fáil	Pat Casey^[*]
	Labour	Nessa Cosgrove
	Independent	Gerard Craughwell^[*]
	Fine Gael	Mark Duffy
	Fianna Fáil	Robbie Gallagher^[*]
	Fine Gael	Anna Grainger
	Fine Gael	Mike Kennelly
	Sinn Féin	Maria McCormack
	Fianna Fáil	Bernard Moynihan
	Fianna Fáil	Margaret Murphy O'Mahony
	Fine Gael	Joe O'Reilly^[*]
	Fianna Fáil	Anne Rabbitte^[*]
	Fianna Fáil	Michael Smyth
	Social Democrats	Patricia Stephenson
	Sinn Féin	Daithí Doolan
Quota:

References

^ "General Election on 29 November 2024". Government of Ireland (Press release). Department of the Taoiseach. 11 November 2024 [8 November 2024].
^ "Minister O'Brien makes Orders appointing dates and times for Seanad Éireann general election". Government of Ireland (Press release). Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. 15 November 2024.
^ Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 (No. 30 of 1937). Enacted on 19 November 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.
^ Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024, s. 6: Constituency and electors (No. 40 of 2024, s. 6). Enacted on 29 October 2024. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
^ Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1954 (No. 1 of 1954). Enacted on 22 February 1954. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.
^ Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947 (No. 42 of 1947). Enacted on 19 December 1947. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.
^ "Register of Nominating Bodies as revised at the annual revision and signed by the Seanad Returning Officer in pursuance of section 19 of the Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, as amended" (PDF). Oireachtas. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
^ Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, s. 37: Nominations by the Taoiseach to complete provisional sub-panels (No. 42 of 1947, s. 37). Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 31 March 2020.
^ Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, s. 52: Allocation of members amongst the panels (No. 42 of 1947, s. 52). Enacted on 19 December 1947. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 7 March 2020.
^ "Senator and former TD Shane Cassells bows out of politics". The Irish Times. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
^ "Minister of State Malcolm Noonan sole Green Party Seanad candidate". The Irish Times. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
^ "Who are the political parties putting forward in the Seanad election?". TheJournal.ie. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
^ "Mayo elected representative confirms retirement after record-breaking service". Connaught Telegraph. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
^ "Ned's watching brief as six go in search of seats". killarneytoday.com. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
^ "Outgoing Mayo senator confirms departure from national politics". Connaught Telegraph. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
^ "12 Candidates Nominated To Contest Seanad Éireann Election in the National University of Ireland (NUI) Constituency". National University of Ireland. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
^ "16 candidates nominated to contest Seanad election". Trinity College Dublin. 6 December 2024.

[1] "General Election on 29 November 2024". Government of Ireland (Press release). Department of the Taoiseach. 11 November 2024 [8 November 2024].

[2] "Minister O'Brien makes Orders appointing dates and times for Seanad Éireann general election". Government of Ireland (Press release). Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. 15 November 2024.

[3] Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 (No. 30 of 1937). Enacted on 19 November 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.

[4] Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024, s. 6: Constituency and electors (No. 40 of 2024, s. 6). Enacted on 29 October 2024. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.

[5] Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1954 (No. 1 of 1954). Enacted on 22 February 1954. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.

[6] Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947 (No. 42 of 1947). Enacted on 19 December 1947. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 March 2020.

[7] "Register of Nominating Bodies as revised at the annual revision and signed by the Seanad Returning Officer in pursuance of section 19 of the Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, as amended" (PDF). Oireachtas. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.

[8] Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, s. 37: Nominations by the Taoiseach to complete provisional sub-panels (No. 42 of 1947, s. 37). Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 31 March 2020.

[9] Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947, s. 52: Allocation of members amongst the panels (No. 42 of 1947, s. 52). Enacted on 19 December 1947. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 7 March 2020.

[10] "Senator and former TD Shane Cassells bows out of politics". The Irish Times. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.

[IT_20241218-11] "Minister of State Malcolm Noonan sole Green Party Seanad candidate". The Irish Times. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.

[12] "Who are the political parties putting forward in the Seanad election?". TheJournal.ie. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.

[13] "Mayo elected representative confirms retirement after record-breaking service". Connaught Telegraph. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.

[14] "Ned's watching brief as six go in search of seats". killarneytoday.com. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

[15] "Outgoing Mayo senator confirms departure from national politics". Connaught Telegraph. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

[16] "12 Candidates Nominated To Contest Seanad Éireann Election in the National University of Ireland (NUI) Constituency". National University of Ireland. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

[17] "16 candidates nominated to contest Seanad election". Trinity College Dublin. 6 December 2024.

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PROFILPELAJAR.COM

2025 Seanad election

Background

Electoral system

University constituencies

Vocational panels

Appointment

Members of the outgoing Seanad not seeking election

Election process

Results

National University of Ireland

Dublin University

Administrative Panel

Agricultural Panel

Cultural and Educational Panel

Industrial and Commercial Panel

Labour Panel

References

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