Sinn Féin won the most number of first preference votes, with 24.5%
Many counts have yet to be completed, so final results will not be known until later
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she hopes to form a government without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael
Image source, Yui Mok/PA WireFianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who arrived at the count centre in Cork, was asked if he was open to doing a deal with Sinn Féin, but he said that "significant incompatibilities" still exist.
He said that reports suggested that his party "would be the largest".
He added that he was a "democrat" and respected the will of the people.
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Image source, Paul Faith / AFP via Getty ImagesThe tight result predicted by the exit poll might have some of you worried of a throwback to the 2016 general election.
Four years ago Ireland's government was dissolved on 3 February, the vote was on 26 February, but it took until 29 April, 63 days after the election, for a government to form.
An agreement was finally reached for a Fine Gael-led minority government, backed by Fianna Fáil in a confidence and supply arrangement.
But the question is whether or not the two parties would want a similar arrangement this time around.
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Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has said she has not yet contacted the leaders of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, but has spoken to other parties including the Greens and People Before Profit.
"Job number one is to see whether or not we can in fact form a government without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael," she told ¸é°ÕÉ.
"We now have a very, very substantial mandate and for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael or anybody else to suggest that the people who we represent should somehow uniquely be told that they cannot expect their representatives to be at the decision-making table is wrong."
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Image source, ¸é°ÕÉThomas Byrne, Fianna Fáil candidate in Meath East, said that has said he's "optimistic but not certain" of retaining his seat in Meath East.
He also said that people didn't see enough of a differentiation between his party and Fine Gael in government.
"That was a difficulty for us and it's certainly where people who previously voted for us who went to Sinn Féin their main bone of contention was."
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald arrives at the RDS in Dublin along with her deputy Michelle O'Neill to a media scrum.
Gerry Adams was president of Sinn Féin for 35 years until he stepped down and was replaced by Mary Lou McDonald in 2018. He also stood down as a TD at this election.
He said Ms McDonald fought a "wonderful campaign" and that Sinn Féin had been given a mandate for change.
"We are going to use it wisely but we are going to use it radically" he says.
Image source, ¸é°ÕÉWhen asked about who Sinn Féin would go into government with he replies: "The best government is one that doesn't have Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil in it, so Mary Lou McDonald is going to reach out to the leaders of the other parties and we will see what comes of that."
"You have to have all your options open but our favoured option is to have a government that does not have Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael in it."
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Former Labour leader and tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Joan Burton is likely to lose her seat, ¸é°ÕÉ says.
She was first elected to the Dáil in 1992.
Image source, PASinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly is on course to beat Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, although Mr Varadkar is also on track to retain his seat.
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Image source, RTEUniversity College Dublin's seat predictions have been published. They show Fianna Fáil is on track to become the biggest party - just. But Sinn Féin and Fine Gael could also end up as the largest in terms of seats.
It also looks like a good day for the Green Party who are estimated to win between nine and 14 seats.
Image source, ¸é°ÕÉFine Gael's Simon Harris, the minister for health, has congratulated Sinn Féin on "a very good performance".
He also said Fine Gael had performed a lot better in the exit poll than in polls in previous weeks.
He added that Fianna Fáil's message of "change" actually translated into votes for Sinn Féin.
Image source, ¸é°ÕÉVeteran Fianna Fáil politician John McGuinness, who is standing again in Carlow - Kilkenny, tells ¸é°ÕÉ his party needs to speak to every other party to form a government.
He said he would be supportive of discussing going into government with Sinn Féin, with Fine Gael and the independents.
"No party will have its full agenda implemented over the next five years. It will be a coalition," he said.
His position is in contrast with many others in Fianna Fáil, who have ruled out governing with Sinn Féin.
Image source, Donall Farmer/Getty ImagesIf Sinn Féin is to get past 30 seats, the party will need to pick up some gains that were unexpected just a few days ago.
Also, we'll be keeping an eye out for where the Sinn Féin surplus vote will go when it has candidates elected.
It is expected the Green Party, Solidarity-People Before Profit and possibly Fianna Fáil (according to the exit poll) will benefit most.