Taoiseach Enda

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has hailed his victory in last Friday's election as "a democratic revolution at the ballot box" and promised to hit the ground running on taking office.

He told supporters there was "no time to lose, no hour to waste" in confronting the challenges facing the country.

Negotiations are getting underway between FG and the Labour Party with a view to forming a coalition government that will enjoy a massive majority.

At the time of going to print, recounts were underway in three constituencies: Wicklow, Galway West and Laois-Offaly.

But the picture was clear.

With 154 seats out of 166 filled, Fine Gael was enjoying its best ever election, becoming the biggest party in the State by winning 76 seats.

It was Labour's best day ever too - they are the largest party in Dublin, and won a record 37 seats so far.

But it was a punishing day for Fianna Fail, which saw its vote collapse.

There had been some expectation that they would do better than the opinion polls suggested once voters got into the privacy of the voting booth.

But the recovery never materialized and for the first time in its history, it was beaten into third place with just 20 seats.

In Dublin, Brian Lenihan was the only Fianna Fail candidate elected in any constituency.

Sinn Fein trebled its presence in Leinster House and party leader Gerry Adams, who won a seat in his first election south of the border, will lead a team of 14.

The Green Party was wiped out completely, losing all six seats.

There was a significant breakthrough for some of the smaller parties, like People

Before Profit and the Socialist Party and along with Independents, these others count for 19 seats.

FF drowns in 'Tsunami'

"It's like Fianna Fail has been hit by a tsunami", said former minister Batt O'Keeffe who decided not to contest the election.

The party which has been in government for 61 of the last 80 years was hammered by an angry electorate, and party leader Micheal Martin faces a huge challenge in rebuilding the organization.

Fianna Fail secured just 17% of first preference votes, down by more than half on 2007.

The party brand was transfer-repellant, and its candidates struggled to get number twos from any other party's supporters.

Worryingly for them, the party appears to have lost most of its support in the capital.

And there are now no FF TDs anywhere in counties Meath, Tipperary, Sligo, Kerry, Leitrim or Roscommon.