Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that even without all the votes counted, there is a clear sign the people want change.

Counting has begun in the Irish general election, as exit polls suggest a close contest between the three major parties.

Ireland's main opposition Sinn Fein looked on course to win the most votes at a general election by the narrowest of margins on Friday, but its two main centre-right rivals will likely have enough seats to govern again without it,

An exit poll on Friday night suggested that Sinn Fein would narrowly get the highest share of first-preference votes, 21.1%, ahead of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively, but in fact the latter two parties outpolled SF in the end.

Voting in the Irish General Election continued into Friday evening after a quick campaign that focused on the country’s most pressing issues.