The box contained votes from the Rahara area.

Deirdre Clune of Cork’s Barry political dynasty fought off party young gun Simon Harris to clinch a second seat for Fine Gael in a marathon Ireland South election count.

The pounding inflicted on Labour by an angry electorate was of such shock and awe proportions it even forced senior figures out of the bunker of victimhood they have locked themselves in for the past two years.

The latest images from count centres around the country.