Election 2016 live
00:31 Helen McEntee and Regina Doherty have been elected for Fine Gael in Meath East without reaching the quota, following the exclusion of Sinn Fein's Darren O'Rourke.
23:12 Meath East has also seen a casualty, with Labour TD Dominic Hannigan eliminated on the eighth count, along with Cllr Joe Bonner, independent.
22.58 Damien English (FG) has been elected in Meath West on the sixth and final count. Ray Butler (FG) has lost his seat.
22.45: In Meath East, Aisling O'Neill, the Social Democrat candidate has been eliminated, after a decent showing of 2,463.
22.01: Seamus McMenamin (GP) and Trevor Golden (IND) have been eliminated on the fifth count in Meath West. The sixth count will be the last with English and Butler the last men standing. English is well ahead.
21.18 Alan Lawes of Direct Democracy Ireland has been eliminated on the fourth count in Meath West.
21.00 In Meath East, we are counting Green candidate Sean O'Buachalla's transfers after his elimination on the 4th count. Sarah Tyrrell of Renua had already been eliminated.
20.42 Labour's Tracy McElhinney has been eliminated on the third count in Meath West.
19.30: The Worker's Party candidate Seamus McDonagh has been eliminated on the second count in Meath East, with 335 votes.
19.29: Sinn Fein's Peadar Toibin has just been elected on the second count in Meath West.
19.26: A second count result in Ashbourne is imminent, due within five minutes.
19.06: Meath West returning officer Des Foley has indicated that the second count result should be at around 7.30pm
18:30: Meath East Independent candidate Sharon Keogan says its a day for licking the wounds, it's obvious there is no independent seat in Meath - it's either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael. She was delighted to see Thomas Byrne being elected and that he had a great organisation behind him.
17.53: Thomas Byrne elected on first count in Meath East, with 10,818 votes. Quota 10,348.
17.39: Kevin Martin has announced he will call the first count result in Meath East in 10 minutes
17.11 Fianna Fail's Shane Cassells has been elected on the first count in Meath West, polling 10,585 first preferences. Peader Toibin (SF) is close to the quota on 9,442, followed by Damien English (FG) on 8,123.
4.36 : Returning officer Des Foley has indicated there will be a first count in Meath West at around 5pm.
15.50 : Adjudication of doubtful votes starts in Meath West.
14.00: Returning officer Kevin Martin gets counting underway in Meath East after all votes sorted; we hope to have a first count result around 17.30pm.
13.40: One of the proudest people at the Meath East count centre was Tommy Byrne, a 5th term Fianna Fail councillor on Louth County Council and father of FF candidate Thomas Byrne. He said that after a five-year wait, it looked hopeful that his son would be returning to the Dail. Tommy Byrne's late mother was Maureen Matthews from Kilcloon.
13:30: Final tally in Meath East shows Thomas Byrne on 26 per cent; Helen McEntee on 18 with Regina Doherty on 17 per cent; and Darren O'Rourke on 14. Sitting TD Dominic Hannigan is on 6 per cent, alongside independent Joe Bonner.
11:55: In Meath East, the two FG deputies, McEntee and Doherty, are level at 18 per cent each, with 65 of 115 boxes tallied; Thomas Byrne is on 27 per cent, Darren O'Rourke on 14.5 and Dominic Hannigan on six.
Mairead McGuinness MEP has just arrived to view proceedings.
11.47: With all 117 boxes opened in Meath West, Fianna Fail's Shane Cassells is on 27%, followed by Sinn Fein's Peadar Toibin on 25% and Fine Gael TD Damien English on 21%. Sitting FG TD Ray Butler is in trouble on 12%, with independent Trevor Golden on 4%, DDI's Alan Lawes, Labour's Tracey McElhinney and Green Party candidate Seamus McMenamin al on 3% and independent John Malone bringing up the rear of the field on just 1%.
11.07: With nine boxes left to open in Meath West, Fianna Fail's Shane Cassells is on 27%, with Sinn Fein candidate Peadar Toibin on 25% and Fine Gael's Damien English on 21%. FG candidate Ray Butler is on 12% and will struggle to hold his seat on these figures.
11.00: 35 boxes are tallied, five from Ashbourne, 8 from Kells, 21 from Ratoath and one from Laytown, showing Bonner on 4 per cent; Byrne on 28; Doherty on 20; Hannigan on 7; Gilroy on 2; Keogan on 2; McDonagh on one; McEntee 16; O'Buachalla 2; O'Neill 4; O'Rourke 14 and Tyrrell, 1 per cent.
10:42: Initial tallies from the south of the county in Meath East show Thomas Byrne performing strongly, and looking likely to be elected early on, with Regina Doherty on 22 per cent, Helen McEntee on 13 per cent and Dominic Hannigan on seven per cent. However, boxes in north Meath haven't been opened, and Sinn Fein's Darren O'Rourke is also in contention for the third seat.
09.00 : The opening of boxes has begun in the East Meath count centre in Ashbourne and Meath West centre in Trim.