Summary

  • Counting has been completed after the 2024 Irish general election

  • Fianna Fáil has the most seats with 48, Fine Gael has 38 and Sinn Féin has 39

  • A return of an administration involving Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael now looks very likely

  • Sinn Féin insists it will still be involved in coalition talks

  • Fianna Fáil's Micheál Martin, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald, and Fine Gael's Simon Harris were all re-elected on Saturday

  • Turnout for the election was 59.7% - the lowest in more than a century

Live Reporting

Edited by Caroline McClatchey and Gerry Bradley

  1. Some government ministers struggling in early tallies

    Aoife Moore
    BBC Dublin Reporter

    Counting underway at electionPA Media

    Early tallies are predicting an upset for some government ministers.

    Although not all boxes are open, trends are beginning to emerge.

    In Wicklow, which has four seats, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is in fifth place.

    Health had been a hot topic in the election campaign as waiting lists continue to rise.

    Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris is in the same constituency and is leading the way in early tallies.

    In Dublin Mid-West, Minister for Children, the Green Party's Roderic O'Gorman, is in trouble at this early stage, currently in sixth place.

    O'Gorman had been put in the unenviable position of having responsibility for asylum seeker integration and accommodation - something the current government struggled to get a handle on amid a misinformation campaign from the far right and lack of available beds for refugees.

    Meanwhile, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is likely to take the first seat in the Dublin Central constituency.

    Social Democrat Gary Gannon and Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe also look safe in their seats.

    The final seat looks likely to be a close race between the Labour Party senator Marie Sherlock and Independent candidate Gerard Hutch.

  2. Exit poll shows tight three-way race

    Exit Poll

    An exit poll published just as polls closed at 22:00 GMT on Friday suggests that Sinn Féin has 21.1% of first preference votes with Fine Gael having 21% and Fianna Fáil having 19.5%.

    It also suggests that 20% of the second preference votes goes to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with Sinn Féin at 17%.

    The poll was carried out by Ipsos B&A for RTÉ, The Irish Times, TG4 and Trinity College Dublin. It has a margin of error of 1.4%.

    Friday's poll indicates Green Party first preference support stands at 4%; Labour at 5%; the Social Democrats at 5.8%; People Before Profit-Solidarity at 3.1% and Independents at 12.7%, Independent Ireland 2.2% with others on 1.9%.

    The poll is based on 5,018 completed interviews that were carried out immediately after people voted at polling stations in 43 constituencies across the Republic of Ireland.

    Looking back at the 2020 Irish general election, Sinn Féin secured 24.53% first preference votes, while Fianna Fáil obtained 22.18% and Fine Gael got 20.86%.

  3. Welcome to our Irish general election live coverage

    Hayley Halpin
    BBC News NI

    People standing at either side of a long table full of ballot papers.Reuters

    Counting has begun in the Irish general election

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

    Stay with us throughout the day for all the twists and turns as we bring you results as they come in, along with analysis from our reporters and correspondents.

    Counting began at centres across the country at 09:00 GMT on Saturday. Polls closed at 22:00 on Friday night.

    Figures from Friday's exit poll show Sinn Féin slightly ahead of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in first preference votes.

    A record number of 174 Teachtaí Dála (TDs) are set to be elected, up from 160 in 2020. This comes after a constituency shake-up.

    Ireland uses the Proportional Representation with a Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV) electoral system to count votes.

    The previous government was a three-party coalition, made up of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.

    The two main parties have ruled out Sinn Féin as a potential coalition partner in the next government.

    There will be coverage of the election results on BBC Two NI at 18:00 GMT on Saturday and on BBC One NI on Sunday Politics at 10:00 GMT. You will also be able to watch coverage live at the top of this page.