A confident Sean Kelly has sent a warning shot to those set to be elected to Europe in the coming days that they have to "work for Ireland" and not spend their time "spoofing".
The Fine Gael MEP is expected to be re-elected in the coming hours. Exit polls initially suggested he might have as much as 16% of the first preference votes but this figure may actually be even higher once the count is completed.
Mr Kelly said that he doesn't expect to reach a quota on the first count but said that he should get over the line.
"Being realistic, I'll be elected, there's no point in saying otherwise," he said.
"I didn't really expect it. What you have to consider is that we had three Fine Gael candidates. It is the only place where you had three candidates from one party so to head the poll in that circumstance is pretty satisfying alright."
Mr Kelly said he is hopeful that his colleague Deirdre Clune will get enough transfers to secure a second seat for Fine Gael in the constituency.
He said that there is a lot of hard work to do for whichever candidates are elected.
"More importantly than getting elected, those who are elected have to go out and work," he said.
"Whoever is elected, I'll be expecting them to go out and work for Ireland and not to be spoofing and pretending, or getting highlights for saying things that are often meaningless and cannot be implemented and then doing damn all afterwards. That is something we have to watch for the next five years."