With just 12 seats left to be declared, the Irish Times’ political correspondent Jennifer Bray says talks about the new make-up of the Irish government will already be taking place.

“If you listen to any of the Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael TDs [members of the Irish parliament] on the airwaves they are all very cranky this morning - they probably haven’t had enough sleep over the weekend or are very reluctant to get into coalition-ology,” she tells BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme.

Image source, PA Media

“But be assured those conversations are happening,” she says.

The clearest route to power, she adds, is for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to band together, possibly with the addition of some independents.

But, she says, the dynamic between the two big parties now is different, with Fianna Fáil having around 10 TDs more than Fine Gael when in 2020 it was ”even stevens” in terms of seats.

The Talkback programme on BBC Radio Ulster will be unpacking what we know so far from counting.

William Crawley will be speaking to:

• Jennifer Bray, political correspondent for the Irish Times
• John Downing, journalist for the Irish Independent
• Derek Mooney, the forner Fianna Fáil government minister and host of the Mooney on Politics podcast
• Terry Prone, communications expert
• Ian Marshal, the first unionist to be elected to the Seanad (Irish parliament's upper chamber) in 2018

Listen to the programme on BBC Radio Ulster and on BBC Sounds.

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There are a number of factors which make the counting process a drawn-out affair.

The country uses a proportional representation system to elect representatives to the Dáil (Irish parliament).

The system requires several rounds of counting per constituency because of transferable votes, which allow people to select multiple candidates in order of preference.

If their first preference is already elected, their vote is then transferred to their second preference.

There are also multiple seats up for grabs in each constituency.

Most constituencies across Ireland have at least three seats, but some have as many as five.

This means votes often have to be redistributed among candidates over multiple rounds of counting.

Back in June a tiny political party born out of a building scandal took its first steps – and won its first seats – in Irish electoral politics.

Then the "accidental politicians" of the 100% Redress Party won four seats in the local elections in rural County Donegal.

Now the party has its first TD in the county in Charles Ward, who was elected in the early hours of Monday morning on the 16th count.

His party colleague Ali Farren, one of the party's councillors in Donegal, said everyone was delighted by his election.

“Thirteen months ago there was no 100% Redress Party, we are all rookie politicians. We are here because we need a voice for defective concrete block families,” Farren said.

Many houses in counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick are crumbling because the blocks they were built with contain high levels of the mineral, mica, which absorbs water, causing walls to crack.

The government's mica redress scheme - which was first announced in November 2021 - is currently capped at €420,000 per house, at a total cost to the exchequer of €2.2 billion.

Friday's general election in the Republic of Ireland is likely to return the incumbent coalition government to power.

Here's what's been happening over the weekend:

• It's a tight race among the top three parties with Fianna Fáil currently on 43 and Fine Gael and Sinn Féin sitting on 36 each
• Micheál Martin is poised for a return to the role of taoiseach as his party sits in the lead
• The Green Party, who were a junior partner in the last coalition government, have been reduced from 12 seats to just one
• Turnout was at 59.7%, the lowest in over a century
• Controversial candidate Gerry Hutch, who's alleged to be the head of a major criminal gang in Dublin, failed to win a seat coming fifth in the four-seat constituency of Dublin Central
• Counting is due to be completed today, although a recount is taking place in Cork North-Central which could cause further delay
• Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said there will be no government before Christmas, as coalition talks begin

Image source, PA Media

Despite being set to emerge with the most seats, it has not been all good news for Fianna Fail.

The party's health minister, Stephen Donnelly, became one of the biggest casualties of the election so far when he lost his seat in Wicklow in the early hours of Monday morning.

Donnelly was always predicted to face a fight in the constituency after boundary changes saw it reduced from five to four seats.

He was beaten to the fourth and final seat by Fine Gael's Edward Timmins, who was the running mate of party leader and Taoiseach Simon Harris, who topped the poll in that area.

Gangland figure Gerry Hutch narrowly failed to secure a seat in Dublin Central.

He was besieged by journalists when he arrived at the count centre at the RDS on Sunday to congratulate Labour’s Marie Sherlock who pipped him to the final seat.

He is known as a man of few words but when asked by BBC NI if he planned to run again for election, he said he would.

"I have been running all my life so yes I would go again," he said.

Watch his encounter with RTÉ's crime correspondent Paul Reynolds below.

The deputy leader of Fianna Fáil says it’s unlikely a new government will be formed before Christmas.

Dublin West TD Jack Chambers told RTÉ he can see a route back to government for his party – but talks will be needed first among its parliamentary members.

Image source, Oireachtas

"We want to form a strong and stable government, but that has to be underpinned with a broader policy discussion in the first instance,” he said.

The outgoing three-party coalition, he added, had "worked well”.

A new government, Chambers said, might not be in place before Christmas, but won’t take as long as last time out.

Then it took some five months after the election for the government to take shape.

It remains to be seen whether Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will need the support of smaller parties to form a government.

Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said it had been a good weekend for his party, but that smaller parties like his would be watching what happened to the Greens after they participated in the last government, only to be reduced from 12 seats to one in this election.

He told The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster: "The behaviour of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil towards their coalition partner would scare off any individual party going in by themselves."

Image source, Getty Images

But he acknowledged that they may not need the support of any other parties, the way the numbers are now shaping up.

"Across Europe, it's been opposition parties taking up the mantle in the post-Covid era. It's only in the Republic that we've seen the same government being returned," he said.

Only a few seats remain unfilled.

But in Cork North-Central, a recount has been ordered with the two leading candidates separated by just 35 votes.

Labour Party's Eoghan Kenny had been declared elected by the returning officer.

However Mike Barry, of People Before Profit Solidarity, requested a recount which is due to begin this morning.

Mr Barry had requested a full recount in which all ballots would be counted again, but RTÉ News is reporting that he has agreed initially to ballot bundles being checked.

The process is expected to be concluded by lunchtime.

With 38 of 43 constituencies now complete, the focus is moving towards the formation of a government.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Sinn Féin’s Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who held his seat in Donegal, said his party would "reach out immediately to Labour, the Social Democrats and to progressive independents".

"The issue now is do Labour and the Soc Dems prop up Fine Gael again in government or do they work with us?" he said.

"We need to challenge Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael – they have around 41-42% of votes, that’s not even close to a majority."

The results thus far are an endorsement of the unfinished work of the outgoing coalition government, according to Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne.

"For most people that we were talking to on the doorsteps, people felt that the government was doing a good job but there was a lot more to do,” he said.

The big issues, he added, that had been raised with canvassers during the campaign were access to housing and healthcare.

Those, he said, would have to be addressed by any incoming coalition government.

Image source, PA Media

Among the new faces set to enter parliament for the first time is Fine Gael's Emer Currie.

A former Irish senator, she is a daughter of the late Northern Ireland politician Austin Currie, a co-founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Image source, Fergal Phillips/PA Wire

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster, Currie said her father “would have been absolutely delighted”, adding that her election was a "very special" moment for her whole family.

The new TD for the Dublin West constituency said the result of the election seemed to indicate that the public was content with the status quo.

"It’s a statement that they felt Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were working well together," she said.

Image source, PA Media

Fianna Fáil has "no common ground" with Sinn Féin, according to re-elected TD Jack Chambers who has ruled out a coalition between the two parties.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, he said his party had been "very clear" on its position on Sinn Féin, citing policy differences on international trade and the European Union.

He accused Sinn Féin of having an "insular" approach to both issues.

Fianna Fáil is expected to lead a coalition government in the next Dáil (Irish parliament) as it holds a narrow lead in the latest election count.

Mr Chambers, who has been re-elected in his Dublin West constituency, said that the party was yet to hold an internal discussion about how it would approach talks with other parties.

"We'll have to see what the shape of our parliamentary party is first, there's a lot of people still to be elected, and then we'll have a discussion on what the next steps will be."

Nick Miller is a media consultant and former government adviser.

He told Sarah Brett on BBC Good Morning Ulster: "It's definitive that the outgoing government will be returned in some form.

"There's no option, that's pretty much clear at this stage."

The previous coalition government consisted of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party, which has had a tough election.

Image source, BBC News

Dr Lisa Keenan, assistant professor of Political Science at Trinity College Dublin, told Sarah on BBC Good Morning Ulster that the Greens will be "very disappointed" by their election performance.

"They were going into this election with 12 seats, they've lost all but one and they were perceived as being lucky to hold onto that one - that's the seat of their leader Roderic O'Gorman," she said.

Image source, BBC News

Good Morning Ulster is coming live from Dublin this morning - presenter Sarah Brett has been speaking to BBC NI's political editor Enda McClafferty to assess what the next coalition government might look like.

Image source, BBC News

The final 12 seats in the Irish general election are expected to be filled later.

Here's more stats for a Monday morning recap:

• Candidates fought it out for 174 seats in the Dáil (Irish Parliament) - 88 of which are needed to secure a majority
• Fianna Fáil is in the lead with 43 seats
• First preference percentage share for the largest three parties was: Fianna Fáil 21.9%, Fine Gael 20.8%, Sinn Féin 19.0%
• Turnout for the election was 59.7%

Good morning and welcome back to BBC News NI's live page of the Irish general election count.

You can keep right up to date with all the drama as we bring you results as they come in.

Counting began at centres across the country at 09:00 GMT on Saturday.

So far, 162 of the Dáil's 174 seats have been filled, with the final day of counting resuming this morning.

We're bringing our Irish election live coverage to an end but there's plenty more to come tomorrow.

With 97 seats filled, and 77 still to go, counting looks very likely to continue into Monday and we will be here with all the latest once again from 7am.

You'll also be able to catch plenty of results, analysis and reaction on Good Morning Ulster from 6.30am.

Thanks for joining our coverage - today's live page was brought to you by Lili Busby, Daniel Logan, Barry O'Connor, Ciarán McCauley and Pauline McKenna.