Higgins expected to top poll after first count
With two hours of counting underway in the Presidential election, early tallies suggest Michael D Higgins will top the poll on the first count.
That announcement will not happen until later this evening, when results are declared from all 43 constituencies.
They are just early tallies in many cases and need that health warning, but they range from neck and neck, to huge leads for Michael D Higgins and some small leads for Seán Gallagher.
In Limerick City for example it appears Michael D Higgins could get half of all votes.
Donegal South West with just a fifth of boxes open there shows Seán Gallagher on 32%, Michael D Higgins on 29%.
County Louth, Seán Gallagher's home base, has Michael D Higgins with more than a third of the vote on about 1 in 5 boxes opened, with Seán Gallagher back on about 28%.
Across the capital where the turnout is over 50%, Michael D Higgins appears to be outpolling Seán Gallagher by two to one, and Gay Mitchell is doing very bady in his home base.
In Dublin West, the early tallies suggest Michael D Higgins could get as much as 60% of the vote.
