Crowley expects transfers for FF
Counting will resume in Cork this morning as efforts to elect four MEPs in Ireland South continues.
Approximately 680,000 ballot papers are being counted by 260 people for what is Ireland's largest constituency - made up of 10 counties - all of Munster and the four most southern counties in Leinster.
Fianna Fáil's Brian Crowley from Cork is hotly tipped to top the poll here, and is widely expected to exceed the quota in the first count which is estimated to be around 136,000.
Crowley has traditionally attracted a personal vote but he believes there is a certain amount of party transfer up for grabs.
"Looking at previous counts, something like 32% of my vote transferred to the FF candidate in the last election and something like 31% in the previous election," he said.
"There is a transfer there that is available."
Sinn Féin's Liadh Ni Riada is also is also polling well and if the exit poll is to be believed she will take the second seat.
The third seat looks likely to go to Fine Gael's Sean Kelly from Kerry - the fourth and final seat set to produce a close-run battle.
Though initial figures from an RTÉ exit poll suggested that the Fine Gael duo of Deirdre Clune from Cork and Simon Harris of Wicklow would fight it out, estimates from some of the parties here last night suggest that The Green Party's Grace O' Sullivan and Fianna Fáil's second candidate Kieran Hartley - both from Waterford - could still be in with a chance based on possible transfers.
The first result expected before lunchtime.
