ANALYSIS: What do the results mean for the next General Election?

The votes are still being counted, but attention is already shifting to whether this weekend’s Local and European Elections mark a breaking of the mould in Irish politics, or merely a mid-term kicking for the Government.

None of the established political parties have much to celebrate: Fine Gael is suffering a backlash, Labour is fighting for survival and Fianna Fáil is showing a steady - but hardly triumphant - comeback.

There has been a major shift towards Independent and anti-austerity candidates, while Sinn Féin are now in with a shout of being the biggest party in some councils around the country.