The dust has only just settled on General Election 2024, and already a new election is under way.
This time it is for the Seanad, the Upper House of the Oireachtas.
In recent weeks, 141 candidates hoping to win a seat in the next Seanad have been making their pitches to people who are eligible to vote in the election, which under the Constitution must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the Dáil.
Among the candidates are several former TDs who lost their seats in November's General Election (Ossian Smyth, Joe Flaherty, Anne Rabbitte, Chris Andrews, Alan Farrell, Malcolm Noonan, Pauline Tully and Cathal Berry).
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A former presidential candidate (Liadh Ní Riada), a controversial former minister attempting to make a return to Irish politics (Katherine Zappone) and a Stormont minister for the economy (Conor Murphy) have also thrown their names into the Seanad hat.
And they are joined by a diverse array of other contenders, ranging from Independents to well-known campaign group representatives, to high-profile councillors hoping to make the step into national politics - not to mention the sitting senators who are just as keen to keep their place for another five years.
In all, 60 seats are available in the Upper House.
But with 11 of those positions ringfenced for appointment by the Taoiseach, in reality the 141 Seanad candidates are in reality fighting for 49 available seats across seven panels - National University of Ireland (3 seats), the Dublin University/Trinity College (3 seats), Cultural and Educational (5 seats), Agricultural (11 seats), Industrial and Commercial (9 seats), Administrative (7 seats), and Labour (11 seats).
Due to the limitations on who can vote in the Seanad election (only TCD and NUI university graduates, members of the incoming Dáil, members of the outgoing Seanad, and sitting councillors may do so), candidates have focused on targeted postal and social media campaigns.
Candidates for the vocational panels have also been meeting councillors face-to-face in recent weeks seeking their support.
Whether their efforts are successful will not be known until the end of the month.
Counting of votes begins shortly after polls close. For the university panels that will be at 11am on 29 January, while for the vocational panels polls close at 11am on 30 January.
National University of Ireland panel
12 candidates, three seats
Sandra Adams
Hilary Beirne
Ronan Collins
Eva Dowling
Alice Mary Higgins
Marie Keenan
Mairead Kenny
Dara Kilmartin
Michael McDowell
Rónán Mullen
Michael O Doherty
Linda O'Shea Farren
Dublin University/Trinity College panel
16 candidates, three seats
Abbis Ali O'Shea
Derek Byrne
Kevin Byrne
Hazel Chu
Tom Clonan
Laoise de Brún
Hugo MacNeill
Marcus Matthews
Aubrey McCarthy
John (Jack) Mulcahy
Paul Mulville
Ade Oluborode
Sadhbh O Neill
Lynn Ruane
Ossian Smyth
Katherine Zappone
Vocational - Cultural and Educational panel
22 candidates, five seats
Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fáil)
Shane Curley (Fianna Fáil)
Máirín McGrath (Independent)
Angela Flynn (Independent)
Shane O'Callaghan (Fine Gael)
Gearóid Murphy (Fianna Fáil)
Sabina Purcell (Fine Gael)
Joe Conway (Independent)
Éanna Ní Lamhna (Independent)
Rob Power (Fianna Fáil)
Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
Mikey Sheehy (Fianna Fáil)
Imran Khurshid (Independent)
Teresa Costello (Fianna Fáil)
Kensika Monshengwo (Independent)
Michelle Hayes (Independent)
Liadh Ní Riada (Independent)
Pauline Tully (Sinn Féin)
Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
Carmel Brady (Fine Gael)
Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fáil)
Sharon Tolan (Fine Gael)
Vocational - Agricultural panel
28 candidates, 11 seats
Victor Boyhan (Independent)
Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
Michael D O'Shea (Fianna Fáil)
Paul Daly (Fianna Fáil)
Pat Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fáil)
Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)
Niall Kelleher (Fianna Fáil)
Matt Dempsey (Independent)
Niall Blaney (Fianna Fáil)
Tim Durkan (Fine Gael)
Gillian Coughlan (Fianna Fáil)
Cillian Keane (Fianna Fáil)
Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
Eugene Murphy (Independent)
Gerry McMunn (Fine Gael)
Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
Paddy O'Rourke (Fianna Fáil)
Breandán Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil)
Noel Thomas (Independent Ireland)
Sarah O’Reilly (Aontú)
Angela Feeney (Labour)
Joanne Collins (Sinn Féin)
John McNulty (Fine Gael)
Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
Teresa Costello (Fianna Fáil)
Imelda Goldsboro (Fianna Fáil)
Vocational - Labour panel
19 candidates, 11 seats
Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fáil)
Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fáil)
Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
Anna Grainger (Fine Gael)
Michael Smyth (Fianna Fáil)
Bernard Moynihan (Fianna Fáil)
Paul Gavan (Independent)
Daithí Doolan (Independent)
Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)
Chris Andrews (Sinn Féin)
Maria McCormack (Sinn Féin)
Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)
Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
Leonora Carey (Fine Gael)
Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fáil)
Pat Casey (Fianna Fáil)
Jimmy Kavanagh (Fine Gael)
Vocational - Industrial and Commercial panel
27 candidates, nine seats
Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael)
Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fáil)
Sharon Keogan (Independent)
Adrian Cummins (Independent)
Vanessa Foran (Independent)
Danny Byrne (Fine Gael)
Kate Feeney (Fianna Fáil)
Declan Burgess (Fine Gael)
Matt J Shanahan (Independent)
Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fáil)
Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)
Sinéad Lucey Brennan (Fianna Fáil)
Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fáil)
Donal Kissane (Independent)
Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fáil)
David Pratt (Fianna Fáil)
Joe Kelly (Independent)
Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
Michael Naughton (Fianna Fáil)
Laura Harmon (Labour)
Joan Hopkins (Social Democrats)
Frances Patricia Black (Independent)
David Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)
Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
Alan Farrell (Fine Gael)
Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin)
Dee Ryan (Fianna Fáil)
Vocational - Administrative panel
17 candidates, seven seats
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
Ann Marie Flanagan (Independent)
Mark Daly (Fianna Fáil)
Joan Carthy (Independent)
Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fáil)
Richie Molloy (Independent)
Niamh Madden (Fine Gael)
Justin Moylan (Fianna Fáil)
Cathal Berry (Independent)
Darragh Moriarty (Labour)
Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fáil)
Nicole Ryan (Sinn Féin)
Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
Noel O'Donovan (Fine Gael)
Vicki Casserly (Fine Gael)
Conor Bergin (Fine Gael)
Eileen Flynn (Independent)
