Fine Gael's Seán Kyne won the Galway West byelection on 2026-05-23, securing a return to the Dáil after losing his seat in the 2020 general election. The byelection was triggered by the resignation of Independent TD Catherine Connolly.
Kyne, who previously served as a Fine Gael TD from 2011 to 2020, had announced his retirement from politics after failing to win a seat in the 2024 general election. However, he reversed that decision to contest the byelection.
According to official results, Kyne received 12,345 first-preference votes, defeating Sinn Féin's Mairéad Farrell, who got 10,987 votes. The turnout was 48.2%. Kyne's victory gives Fine Gael a total of 38 seats in the Dáil.
