So we’ve two #IrelandSouth scenarios ahead:
1. Full recheck tomorrow makes little or no difference to Grace’s 327 vote lead, and SF might choose to not proceed with full recount. Proceed to transfer Ni Riada’ preferences between remaining three candidates (Clune, Grace, Wallace)

— Ed Davitt (@davitter) May 29, 2019

return to their normal jobs). This smaller staff means that the count would take much, MUCH, *MUCH* longer – 28 working days is their estimate. Obviously this is the nightmare scenario for most everyone.

— Ed Davitt (@davitter) May 29, 2019

This morning

A recheck of the European Election vote of Sinn Féin’s Liadh Ní Riada and The Green Party’s Grace O’Sullivan has begun in the Ireland South constituency at 9am.

Ms Ní Riada’s director of elections requested the recheck after the 18th count left her trailing Ms O’Sullivan by 327 votes.

After the 18th count was announced, returning officer Martin Harvey said he had acceded to a request from Ms Ní Riada’s director of elections for a recheck.

Recheck of votes in Ireland South with three seats left (RTÉ)

Meanwhile…

There’s an empty seat beside me. Hoping against hope that the wonderful @GraceOSllvn will be elected today in #IrelandSouth to @Europarl_EN and join me here in Brussels with @GreensEP #EP2019 pic.twitter.com/ThscSSLUoe

— Ciarán Cuffe (@CiaranCuffe) May 30, 2019

Meanwhile…

Following the final count, the newly elected Irish MEPs for the Midlands-North-West Constituency are:
📍@MaireadMcGMEP
📍@lukeming
📍@mattcarthy
📍@MariaWalshEU #EUElections2019 #EP2019 #EE2019

— European Parliament in Ireland (@EPinIreland) May 29, 2019

From left: Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and President of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen

This morning.

The current projection from the European parliament is that center-right and center-left blocks will end up with a total of 329 seats out of 751.

The lack of a majority for the centrist bloc — the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left Socialist and Democrats (S&D) which has held power in Brussels for several decades — could further complicate decision-making at the European Union….

In Italy, provisional results put Salvini’s far-right League party in the lead with 33.6 percent of the vote. The party is on course to win 28 seats in the new parliament.

In France, Le Pen’s party came first with an estimated 23.5 percent of the vote, edging one point ahead of Macron’s party and gaining 22 seats.

Spain’s Socialist party recorded another strong performance following a general election win in late April, winning 32.84% of the vote.

In Britain, Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party was in the lead, while the pro-Europe Liberal Democrats came in second. Both the ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party suffered major losses.

Centrist bloc loses majority in EU vote as Greens and euroskeptics gain, early results show (CNBC)

Pics: Getty

Last night at the RDS Count Centre, from top: Ciaran Cuffe, Frances Fitzgerald with Eoghan Murphy (left) and Kate O’Connell; Mary Lou McDonald (centre) and Lynn Boylan; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

So, A full weekend of apparently “expert” political comment was based on very inaccurate exit poll results. Just one example is that Ciaran Cuffe got 17.5% while the exit poll had put him on 23%. And there is lots more.

— Mark Brennock (@MarkBrennock) May 26, 2019

A whole lotta people saying they voted Green Party actually voting FF or FG in Dublin.
(RTÉ exit poll versus @gavreilly’s tally)

Wonder did they have their kids with them when questioned? pic.twitter.com/nKTjNu6CwS

— Philip Boucher-Hayes (@boucherhayes) May 27, 2019

Count centres around the country stayed working well into the early hours and are due to open around now.

While none of the country’s 13 MEPs have been so far elected, the Green Party’s Ciaran Cuffe is on course to be the first to cross the line.

Greens set to take first Dublin MEP seat as election counts resume (RTÉ)