Blaney contesting both seats in today’s Seanad by-election

There are two Seanad by-elections taking place today.
There are different elections for two seats vacated by Labour’s Denis Landy and Sinn Féin’s Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Running for Landy’s seat, there is:
Mary Newman who is sister of Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell, Fianna Fáils Niall Blaney a former councillor at Donegal County Council, and Frank O’Flynn from Cork County Council, Fine Gael Councillor Bobby O’Connell, RDS nominee Mary Redmond, and former president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union and strong anti-Brexit campaigner Ian Marshall.
Marshall, who was approached by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to accept a Fine Gael nomination, has been tipped by some to take the seat.
Sinn Féin formally backed the candidate this week.
Running for Ó Clochartaigh’s seat is:
Fianna Fáils Niall Blaney (who is listed on both panels) and Niall Kelleher, Former Fine Gael Kildare North TD Anthony Lawlor and Mayor of Kildare Martin Miley.
Both Blaney and Lawlor are tipped to do well. While Sinn Féin have backed Marshall, they have not named who else they will support.
It is not clear whether Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will do an electoral deal to divide up the votes in the by-elections.
Members of the Dáil and the Seanad will be voting by secret ballot.
Nominations for the by-elections closed on 27 March, and ballot papers were issued to members on 13 April. Polls close at 11 am today.