140 seats filled, with 64 going to Fine Gael

Counting continues in seven constiuencies to decide the make-up of the 31st Dáil.

A total of 140 of the 166 seats are now filled with 26 seats left to fill.

Among those elected today were Fine Gael's Charline Flanagan in Laois/Offaly, Brendan Griffin in Kerry South, Peter Fitzpatrick in Louth, and Fianna Fáil's Michael McGrath and outgoing Minister Eamon O'Cuiv, and Labour's Gerald Nash.

Fine Gael currently stands on 64 seats, and will have at least one TD in 42 of the 43 constuituencies, Dublin North West being the exception.

The party is expected to pick up maybe a dozen more as remaining counts come in.

Labour's has 33 seats at the moment, and could pick up four more in remaining counts.

Fianna Fáil has 16 seats now, and is may pick up a few more, but will probably enter the 31st Dáil with fewer than 20 TDs.

Sinn Féin may pick up one more seat to add to the 13 won already. It will be the party's best ever performance in a Dáil election.

Independents and Others have won got 14 seats, with six others likely to make it to the 31st Dáil.

Attention this afternoon will turn to see if Taoiseach in Waiting Enda Kenny makes contact with Eamon Gilmore and opens up negotiations on formaing a government that would have the biggest majority in the history of the state.