Helen McEntee has retained her father’s Dáil seat in Meath East.

She finished with 11,473 votes, which was 1,891 more than her nearest rival – Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne.

Sinn Féin’s Darren O’Rourke finished third with 3,165 first preference votes.

It wasn’t a good day for Labour though as their candidate, Eamon Holmes, finished in fifth place behind Ben Gilroy of the Direct Democracy Ireland party.

Speaking after he victory, the newly elected TD said she was “overwhelmed” and promised to work hard for her constituents.

She also said it was a bitter sweet victory, given she was fighting the seat held by her dad Shane McEntee,  who died tragically in December.

At 26 years of age, she is now the youngest female TD in the Dáil.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny joined the successful candidate at the count centre in Ashbourne and told reporters that to say he was delighted with the win “is an understatement”.

He also said that she would “not betray the spirit of her father”.

Fianna Fáil will be delighted with the second place showing - a 33% share of the vote is well up on the 19% they got two years ago and it's well ahead of Sinn Féin's 13% showing today.

Labour will be licking its wounds after going from being poll toppers two years ago to just 4.6% today.

Turnout came in at 38.2 per cent, with a total poll of 24,568.

The quota was set at 12,155 but Helen McEntee was elected after the elimination of Thomas Byrne.