Sandra Hurley

Polling company Ipsos Behaviour & Attitudes has blamed the lower than expected election turnout for errors in its Exit Poll, which underestimated Fianna Fáil and overestimated Sinn Féin's vote, beyond the margin of error.

Labour and the Social Democrats have both had a good election and could end up with around ten seats each.

Aontú has returned a second TD for the first time with the election of Paul Lawless in Mayo. He will join party leader Peadar Tóibín in the Dáil, who has been elected again in Meath West.

The Dáil's 16 Independents are feeling the love right now as they move centre stage in Government formation talks.

The Labour Party will meet to discuss the outcome of the General Election and how the party will approach any talks to form a government, while the Social Democrats are set to hold meetings with Sinn Féin to explore options.

Following a week of posturing, the business of government formation begins in earnest next week.

Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes has confirmed that he sold his shares in software company Palantir for just under €200,000, one month after he was elected to Dublin City Council.

The Cabinet will meet today for the first time since the General Election.

The gloss has gone off the Social Democrats with one of its new TDs overboard before the Dáil even meets for the first time.

The 34th Dáil convenes this morning for its first sitting since the election. A total of 174 TDs will gather at Leinster House, including 66 newly elected deputies. So what happens on the first day?