Sinn Féin will pull the plug on the Ireland South recount if it becomes clear they are not making up the gap in votes, Mary Lou McDonald has said.

A returning Sinn Fein councillor says the party's performance in the local elections around the country is 'disappointing.'

Ms McHugh, a 28-year-old environmentalist from Achill Island in Mayo, is in real contention to squeeze out both sitting MEP Luke Ming Flanagan and Fine Gael's celebrity candidate Maria Walsh for a seat in Midlands North West.