Live updates: Recount continuing in Longford-Westmeath

Latest:Fine Gael's legal advisor says the party will take legal action if they feel their Longford Westmeath candidate James Bannon has been wronged.

Live updates: Recount continuing in Longford-Westmeath

Update 10.00pm:Fine Gael's legal advisor says the party will take legal action if they feel their Longford Westmeath candidate James Bannon has been wronged.

Outgoing Fine Gael TD James Bannon requested a full recount last night - after he was apparently told that the distribution of Kevin Boxer Moran's surplus has resulted in him being two votes behind outgoing Labour TD Willie Penrose.

The recount is continuing tonight.

Update 7.25pm:The Taoiseach Enda Kenny says Fine Gael wants to press ahead with trying to form a government.

In a statement issued this evening, he said the party will engage with other parties, groups and independent deputies to ensure that such a Government is established.

He said Fine Gael's parliamentary party would agree a set of principles that would guide its participation in a future government.

Update 5.45pm:The result is too close to call in Longford/Westmeath, where counting is continuing this evening.

Outgoing Fine Gael TD James Bannon and Labour's Willie Penrose are separated by just a handful of votes.

If Labour secure the seat, it will give the party speaking rights in the 32nd Dail.

Update 5.25pm: Bríd Smith of Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit has been elected to the fourth and final seat in the Dublin South-Central constituency.

Bríd Smith beat out Fianna Fáil's Catherine Ardagh by just 35 votes.

Update 4pm: Counting continues in Dublin South-Central as officials are still running calculations on spoilt votes and candidates need to be consulted on those.

The process is said to have a couple of hours to go before we hear any news from the constituency.

Conversations on spoilt votes in Longford-Westmeath are also continuing.

Update 1.55pm: The adjudication process in Dublin South Central has finished and now officials are checking if the number of spoilt votes would affect the final result.

Update 12.50pm: Labour's Aodhan O'Riordan has lost his seat in Dublin Bay North.

Independent candidates Tommy Broughan and Finian McGrath along with Sinn Féin's Denise Mitchell are elected.

In Dublin South Central, the returning officer will give a formal decision at 1.30pm in the race between People Before Profit candidate Brid Smith and Fianna Fáil’s Catherine Ardagh for the fourth seat.

Update 12pm:It appears Labour's Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is set to lose his Dáil seat in Dublin Bay North.

The junior minister, who had been tipped as a potential party leader, is likely to lose out as the latest count nears a finish.

Instead the final seats are set to go to Sinn Féin's Denise Mitchell, and Independents Tommy Broughan and Finian McGrath.

Update 11am: The 8,476 votes for Independent candidate John Lyons in Dublin Bay North are being distributed. After that Sean Haughey's surplus of 483 will be distributed.

Update 10.30am: The recount in the Dublin Bay North constituency has started.

Just two seats have been filled in the 'group of death' constituency - where Sean Haughey - son of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey was elected for Fianna Fáil.

He said it was worth the very long wait.

He said: "I think there were odds that the Dublin Bay North count would be the longest to declare a result because of the number of candidates, the big names and so forth.

"It's a great tribute to the people doing the counting, they are doing a great job under a lot of pressure.

"That's democracy, it's nice to see it in action, it's very open and it's very transparent."

Earlier: Counts and re-counts are continuing in three constituencies today to elect the final TD's to the 32nd Dáil.

A full recount is due to get underway in the Longford/Westmeath constituency this morning, following a request by outgoing Fine Gael TD James Bannon.

There is a razor thin margin of votes between Labour's Willie Penrose and Mr Bannon.

In Dublin South Central, where the final seat remains in contention, a recount resumes at noon today.

Fianna Fáil's Catherine Ardagh is hoping to overhaul a 35-vote lead held by Bríd Smith of the AAA/People Before Profit.

The recount in the Dublin Bay North constituency will resume at 10am this morning.

Fianna Fáil's Sean Haughey was re-elected, after losing his seat in the last election.

Independents Tommy Broughan and Finian McGrath, along with Labour's Aodhan O'Riordain and Sinn Féin's Denise Mitchell are the four TDs in the mix for three seats there.

Independent Senator Averil Power was eliminated late last night at the RDS.

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