Where will the remainder of the Limerick city seats go?

FOUR of the 21 seats in the Limerick city metropolitan district have been filled so far - but expect a battle for the final spaces on the new local authority.

In City West, Fine Gael councillors Daniel Butler and Daniel McSweeney were comfortably elected, smashing through the quota on the first count.

Between them, the pair have a surplus of more than 900 to give out - and this could prove crucial as to who joins them in the seven-seater ward.

Outgoing Labour councillor Joe Leddin looks on course to be elected for a sixth straight election: he had 1,226 first preference votes after count one, and is 294 off the quota of 1,520.

Fianna Fail councillor, and metropolitan district leader, Cllr Azad Talukder polled fourth in City West with 1,057 votes, which puts him 463 off the quota.

However, season observers have indicated he may face a nervous wait this Sunday, with fears he may not secure enough transfers to get over the line.

Fianna Fail's Fergus Kilcoyne currently sits in fifth place with 838 votes after count one, but may expect a slight boost from the surplus from his neighbour in Patrickswell, Cllr McSweeney. Fellow Patrickswell woman Esther Aherne, Independent Ireland, in ninth place with 577 votes cannot be ruled out.

Just behind Cllr Kilcoyne is first-time Independent candidate Maria Donoghue, who pundits have predicted will win a seat in City West.

The chief beneficiary of the Fine Gael surplus could be first-time Ballinacurra candidate Michael MacCurtain, who works for Limerick Chamber.

He had 626 votes after the first count - and strong vote management from Fine Gael could help him cross the line.

In City North, no candidate made the quota of 1,594 on Saturday night - but Independent councillor Frankie Daly is just 41 votes away from the line.

Labour's Conor Sheehan is 78 votes off the quota.

Veteran councillor Kieran O'Hanlon is expected to take a seat, as is Fine Gael councillor Olivia O'Sullivan.

Unlike in City West, it doesn't look likely there will be any significant surplus coming from any candidate on the northside - so it will come down to the transfers of eliminated candidates.

It's set to be a real battle royale here for the final three seats with under 500 votes separating Aontu's Sarah Beasley in fifth place and Fianna Fail's Suzzie O'Deniyi in 13th position.

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Sinn Fein councillor Sharon Benson, in sixth spot with 727 first preference votes, will hope if her running mate Tom Collopy, in 12th with 538, is eliminated, his votes will give her a boost.

Expect Independent candidates Pat O'Neill and Moyross man Dean Quinn - the two last candidates standing in 2019 - to have a say, with the pair having more than 1,300 votes between them.

Saturday night's story in City East was the election on the first count of Fianna Fail's Catherine Slattery and Fine Gael's first-time candidate Peter Doyle.

The pair have more than 400 of a surplus to give out, and it's expected this will help both their running mates cross the line.

Cllr Joe Pond, Fianna Fail, is on the cusp of being elected, just 19 votes off making the quota of 1,608, with Cllr Slattery's transfer expected to see him returned. Labour councillor Elena Secas is just 31 votes off quota.

Fine Gael's Sarah Kiely is 205 votes behind, but given the fact she is geographically located in the same part of City East as Cllr Slattery, will hope for some of her surplus of 286.

After that, it looks like a battle between three candidates for two seats.

Fine Gael could repeat their feat of 2019 and return three councillors in City East, with Castleconnell man Mike Murphy at 738, and hopeful of picking up some of Cllr Doyle's surplus of 119 - and if she crosses the line, a share from Cllr Kiely.

Aontu's Eric Nelligan remains in with a shout with 731 votes, as does Green Party councillor Sean Hartigan, who polled 755 in terms of first preferences. An almost halving of his vote from 2019 when he topped the poll.