The protracted process of sorting and counting votes in Ireland's General Election has begun, after an exit poll put the three main parties virtually neck and neck.Sinn Fein held 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of current coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively, according to the Ipsos B&A Exit Poll commissioned by RTE, The Irish Times, TG4 and Trinity College Dublin.It puts the two largest parties in the current coalition, Fine Gael and Fianna F

The protracted process of sorting and counting votes in Ireland's General Election has begun, after an exit poll put the three main parties virtually neck and neck.Sinn Fein held 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of current coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively, according to the Ipsos B&A Exit Poll commissioned by RTE, The Irish Times, TG4 and Trinity College Dublin.It puts the two largest parties in the current coalition, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, on a combined 40.5%.