Mr David Norris was returned to the Seanad with a spectacular first count victory in the Dublin University panel. The other two outgoing senators, Dr Mary Henry and Mr Shane Ross, also retained their seats. Mr Norris polled 4,866 first preference votes, comfortably over the quota of 3,344 votes. He was followed by Mr Ross, who had 2,475 votes, and Dr Henry, with 2,410 votes. Dr Henry was elected on the fifth count, having accumulated a total of 3,370 votes. Mr Sean Barrett, a lecturer in economics in Trinity College, who polled 1,491 first preference votes, remained in the race to the end, but was never a serious threat to Mr Ross. On the sixth and final count, Mr Barrett received a sizeable 504 votes in transfers from his Trinity College colleague, Ms Ivana Bacik, Reid professor, criminal law, to give him a total of 2,543 votes, but he was still well behind Mr Ross, who received 263 to give him a total of 3,330 votes and secure his election without reaching the quota.
Mr Norris, a Joycean scholar and a campaigner for homosexual reform who was first elected to the Seanad in 1987, said his high vote was a recognition of his work rate. "I think that voters recognised that all three senators did as much as they could to amend the Universities Bill.
"There were other issues on which I did a great deal of work which might be considered peripheral. I got a very heavy mail on foreign affairs matters, such as the situation in East Timor, Burma and Tibet."
He said the low turnout of 43 per cent was due to many voters being on holidays.
The count was held in the public theatre in Trinity College, which is dominated by striking portraits, including one of Jonathan Swift. It was a low-key affair, with no surprises and none of the drama which surrounded the count in the vocational panels in nearby Leinster House.
Mr Ross was accompanied by his wife, the broadcaster, Ms Ruth Buchanan, who unsuccessfully sought a Fine Gael nomination to contest the general election in Co Wicklow. She paid close attention to the transfer pattern during the various counts, while Mr Ross made contact with friends and supporters by mobile phone.
Mr Barrett said that he had run in opposition to the last government's policies on universities and schools.
University of Dublin (3 seats)
Electorate: 31,210 Votes cast, 13,383 Valid poll, 13,374 Spoiled votes, 9 Quota, 3,344
First count
Norris David (senator) 4,866 Ross Shane (senator and journalist) 2,475 Henry Mary (medical practitioner and senator) 2,410 Barrett Sean (lecturer) 1,491 Bacik Ivana (professor, criminal law) 885 Charles Henry Mount (farmer) 461 Martin David (teacher) 345 Kulkarni Prabhu (research chemist) 218 Caul Brian (director of student affairs) 149 Hutson Nigel (research officer) 74
Norris elected on first count. Henry elected on fifth count and Ross elected on the sixth count without reaching the quota.
