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

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.

Counting will start across the Republic of Ireland at 09:00 local time Exit polls in the Irish election suggest a close contest between the three major parties. Figures from Friday's exit poll show Sinn Féin slightly ahead of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in first preference votes.