Last seat filled... after 67 hours

THE 166th and last candidate to be elected to the new Dáil finally secured his seat after 67 hours of counting yesterday morning — and said he couldn’t wait to get into Leinster House.

Fine Gael newcomer Sean Kyne survived a marathon second count before becoming the 76th member of his party to gain a seat in the 31st Dáil.

After two sleepless nights at the Leisureland complex in Salthill with weary tellers sifting through the 60,000 votes for the umpteenth time, the 35-year-old farming worker said he couldn’t wait to get started in his new job.