"Democracy is merciless when it kicks in": Taoiseach

At first it was supposed to be around 5pm, then 6pm, then “maybe another half hour.” But it was only at 8.45pm on Saturday, as Taoiseach Enda Kenny edged through a throng of paparazzi and well-wishers, that Mayo’s first count showed the Fine Gael leader to have crossed the 12,730 quota.

A lot of impatient pacing in a county that knows all about long waits - particularly in football. And even the so-called "short campaign" was a long wait, according to Michael Ring, the junior minister for tourism and sport and another Mayo Fine Gael seat winner.

“We were campaigning since last summer and we thought we would have a November election” said Ring, who mentioned the word "tired" several times in a short interview.