Fine Gael councillor Willie Aird is on course to win a Dail seat after topping the poll in Laois.
Returning Officer Rory Hanniffy announced the results of the first count shortly before 6pm in the General Election Count Centre in Portlaoise.
Cllr Aird, Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley made up the top three in a field of 12 candidates contesting for three seats.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.