The leader of The Green Party Eamon Ryan has said the party is hopeful of hitting seats in double figures.

An exit poll as polls closed on Friday put the party on 7.9% support - behind Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil.

Early indications suggest Mr Ryan is set to top the poll in his Dublin Bay-South constituency.

He told Ivan Yates he is hopeful of a good day.

"I think we've a chance of getting into double figures - which'd be a really good day for us.

"It'll all depend on those transfers - particularly outside Dublin - in constituencies like Wicklow, Waterford, Cork North-Central, Clare/Galway.

"We'll be hoping that we can win in those areas as well as collect a number of seats in Dublin.

"And if we do I think we'll return with a team in double figures and that'd be a good day out for us".

He said he believes himself, Fine Gael's Eoghan Murphy and Fianna Fáil's Jim O'Callaghan will hold their seats.

While the final seat could be between Sinn Féin's Chris Andrews, Kate O'Connell of Fine Gael or Labour's Kevin Humphreys, he suggested.