Casualties galore as vote sends sitting TDs packing

Dozens of previously high-profile politicians are waking up to the reality today that they are no longer TDs after a second successive general election saw a seismic shift in the Dáil landscape.

At least 10 current and former ministers, one party leader and two deputy leaders, government backbenchers from political dynasties, and a string of vocal opposition voices have been swept from the board after Friday’s shock vote.

And while the majority will believe they can find a way back onto the political scene after a period of licking their wounds, for many election 2016 could be the end of their political careers.