Sinn Féin look likely to make an historic gain with a seat in Galway West going by the latest tallies, while Eamon Ó Cúiv and Noel Grealish are also secure.
No candidate reached the estimated quota of 9,427 for Galway West, but three are out ahead of the pack with a substantial lead with just two boxes left to open.
Eamon Ó Cúiv is in front and seems likely to be returned to his seat with 8,094 (14.5%) of the vote.
Behind him Sinn Féin will certainly be hopeful of taking a seat, with Mairéad Farrell, who lost out on her city council seat last year, in 2nd place on first preferences with 7,810 (14%).
Noel Grealish is also looking secure in his seat with 7,474 (13.4%) votes.
The final two seats in this constituency will be closely fought, with at least one sitting TD certain to lose out.
Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton (9.2%) and Seán Kyne (8.8%) are both fighting for their seats, as is Independent Catherine Connolly (8.9%).
But also up in the mix is Fianna Fail’s Ollie Crowe (8.4%), making his first run for the Dáil after more than a decade on Galway City Council.
Depending on how the transfers fall after the 1st count in Galway West, Fine Gael could find themselves without any representatives in the five seat constituency.
