Sinn Féin and Independents the major winners so far as the results of the local elections come in.

First count is in the Longford Westmeath by-election. Gabrielle McFadden is out in front with more than 12,000 votes.

With counting underway for nine hours in the local elections and two by-elections, just over a dozen councillors are elected this evening, and none is from the coalition parties.

An Independent has become the first councillor elected in the country, with Michael Kilcoyne topping the Mayo poll with two quotas.

The first election results of the day have started arrive, with Sinn Féin topping the poll in the Dublin West by-election.

The counting of votes in the local and by-elections gets underway this morning.

Polling stations have opened across the country as people elect 11 MEPs, two TDs and 949 local councillors.

WHEN the planes went into the Twin Towers on 9/11, Brian Fagan realised it was time to hightail it out of Afghanistan.

It is now almost certain that the Longford Westmeath by-election will be held on May 23 with the local and European elections.

The final Dáil vote saw 31 TDs oppose the X case legislation as numbers were swelled by left-wing deputies protesting that the new law was not liberal enough.

Michael McNamara, Labour, Clare: “I do hope that Fine Gael support this [X case legislation] as it is in the Programme for Government.

Some early tallies from count centres around the country in the presidential election suggest it is a two-horse race between Seán Gallagher and Michael D Higgins.

Mary O'Rourke, who lost her seat in Longford Westmeath yesterday, has said the Fianna Fáil party "got what it deserved".

Fianna Fáil's Peter Kelly has lost his seat in Longford Westmeath

Labour have seen two more of their members elected.

Labour's Willie Penrose is 100 votes off the quota in the Longford Westmeath constituency after the first count.

FIANNA Fáil’s Mary O’Rourke came under criticism from party colleagues for conceding during a radio interview that the party would not get into Government after the next election.

THE Bord Snip report recommending major spending cuts should be made public as soon as possible according to Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke who yesterday urged her colleagues in Government to “publish and be damned”.

Labour's Willie Penrose is leading the polls in Longford Westmeath after the first count.

As counting continued around the country this afternoon, signs emerged that a number of high-profile candidates appear unlikely to make it to the 30th Dáil.