There are few better constituencies for testing the mood of the electorate than Dún Laoghaire.
Reflecting the party's strong performance nationwide, Fianna Fáil have taken the first two seats with almost 36 per cent of the vote, up some 6 per cent on its 2002 performance.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin was elected on the first count with 11,884 first preference votes - 2,000 over the quota of 9,786.
Her running mate, Barry Andrews, was elected on the second count with 15 per cent of the first preference vote.
Labour's Eamon Gilmore is likely to retain his seat despite a significant slide in the party's overall vote, down from 22 per cent to 15 per cent. He is lying in third place with 7,127 votes or 12 per cent.
The fourth seat is likely to go to former Fine Gael minister Sean Barrett who polled 9 per cent of the vote or 5,361 first preference votes.
The big surprise is the performance of independent socialist and issues-based candidate Richard Boyd Barrett who is in a fight for the fifth and final seat with 5,233 first preference votes or just over 8 per cent of the poll.
Mr Boyd Barrett told ireland.comhe was "cautiously optimistic" about taking the fifth seat. He said he had fought a hard campaign on a number of local issues, including the "Save the Seafront Campaign" and St Michael's Hospital.
Depending on transfers, Mr Boyd Barrett is likely to be in a run-off for the final seat with sitting Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe who polled slightly less than 8 per cent or 4,534 first preference votes.
Fine Gael candidates Cllr Eugene Regan and Cllr John Bailey, both of whom polled around 7 per cent of the vote, are also in with an outside chance of being in the shake-up.
The same applies to Progressive Democrats TD Fiona O'Malley who polled 6.5 per cent of the vote.
The predicted turnout is expected to be 62 per cent up from just under 58 per cent in 2002.