Mitchell and McGuinness eliminated

Gay Mitchell and Martin McGuinness have been eliminated in the third count of the Presidential election.

It had been thought that only one of the candidates would be eliminated, but the votes of both will now be distributed in a fourth and final count.

Michael D Higgins was still some 90,000 votes shy of the quota, which is 885,882 votes.

A result, which will confirm Michael D Higgins as the ninth President of Ireland, is now expected by mid-afternoon, possibly around 3pm.

Third count results:

QUOTA - 885,882

Michael D. Higgins - 793,128 (+ 62,648 )

Sean Gallagher - 548,373 (+18,972 )

Martin McGuinness - 265,196 (+ 12,585)

Gay Mitchell - 136,309 (+ 8,952)

Gay Mitchell & Martin McGuinness excluded.