First 10 seats filled, as Fine Gael-Labour coalition comes into view

The first 10 seats of the 31st Dáil have been filled.

The Labour Party has won four, Fine Gael three, independents two and Fianna Fáil's Seamus Kirk was automatically re-elected as out-going Ceann Comhairle.

Counting continues, with the people deciding not to give Fine Gael an overall majority and a coalition with Labour now most likely.

Labour's Joan Burton became the first TD elected to the 31st Dáíl. She has since been joined by three more from the party, including Eamon Gilmore.

Burton's constituency colleague Leo Varadkar took Fine Gael's first seat, with the party's deputy leader James Reilly also home in Dublin North.

Independent Shane Ross has stormed home in Dublin South, and, with 17,075 votes, may well have won the highest number of votes by a single candidate in the country.

So far, Fianna Fáil's only seat is the automatic return of Seamus Kirk. Fianna Fáil's only Dublin seat may be the Finance Minister Brian Lenihan.

Joe Higgins has been voted back into the Dáil.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said "the most likely outcome" is that Fine Gael and Labour will form a coalition. Bookies are already paying out on a FG-Labour coalition.

At 5pm, the state of the parties was as follows:

Fine Gael: 3

Labour: 4

Fianna Fail: 1

Independents: 1

United Left Alliance: 1