#GE2020: At the count, SF is high on a nail-biting day

It's early but there's already a big crowd at the Count Centre in Punchestown for what is already expected to be a topsy turvy day in Irish politics, writes Brian Byrne.

With the tallies underway and expected to be completed in an hour or so, the consensus is that Sinn Fein's Patricia Ryan is going to top the poll in Kildare South.

Tentatively the three seats look like they're going to be SF, Fine Gael's Martin Heydon, and Fianna Fail's Fiona O'Loughlin, though neither of those latter are any way close to being home and dry.

The Fianna Fail incumbent is in less sure space this time, with a reported strong SF performance in her native Rathangan, and strong competition in her Newbridge base from Independent Fiona McLoughlin Healy.

Some are suggesting Martin Heydon will be in a 'dogfight' to retain his seat, but again, this is conjecture only on incomplete tallies, and his team are saying he'll be OK.

With eleven candidates, it's going to be a very long and for some a nail-biting day.

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