Less than one in five members of City and County Councils across the province are female.

Of the 141 candidates that were elected over the weekend,  just 25 of them were women.

This equates to just under 18%.

The electoral areas with the most women elected were both in Galway with six women elected to each of Galway City and Galway County Councils.

All six outgoing women cllrs on the County Council were re-elected while there were four women newly elected in the city.

This included Labour cllr Helen Ogbu who made history in becoming the first black woman to be elected to Galway City Council.

Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim elected two new women cllrs each.

Nessa Cosgrove LAB and first timer Edel McSharry FF were both elected in Sligo.

In Roscommon, Emer Kelly IND became the first woman cllr in Athlone’s history and was elected after the first count.

28 year old Leah Cull SF was elected in Boyle, while Sinn Féin Deputy Martin Kenny’s sister Róisín SF and Maeve Reynolds FG were elected in Leitrim.

The council with the least new female elections is in Mayo with one.

While Donna Sheridan FG and Annie May Reape FF were re-elected, Alma Gallagher FG was elected in Claremorris on her first attempt.

This means that just 10% of cllrs that make up Mayo County Council are women, which despite being an improved total is also the lowest percentage in any Connacht council.

In comparison, one in three cllrs on Galway City Council are female.

22% of Leitrim cllrs are women, while both Sligo and Roscommon have 17%.

Galway County Council is the second lowest to Mayo with 15%.