How it started ...
The result boils down to a gain of one seat each for Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, and a corresponding loss for the Green Party and Sinn Féin.
It was decided by transfers as it usually is with proportional representation with a single transferrable vote.
Fine Gael's James Geoghegan took over the mantle as poll topper due to a huge transfer boost of 3,590 votes from his running mate Emma Blain in the 9th count.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik saw her fortunes surge due to a transfer of 1,586 from Hazel Chu - the Green Party candidate - on the 8th count.
And Fianna Fáil's Jim O'Callaghan benefited to the tune of 3,590 transfers from Mr Geoghegan's surplus.
That followed the pattern of government parties transferring to each.
It was also transfers that led to the unexpected success of Social Democrat's candidate Eoin Hayes, who was not considered to be in the running before the boxes were opened.
The Social Democrats have proven to be very transfer friendly in this election in a way that the Green Party used to be.
In the end Mr Hayes got 782 votes from Mr O'Callaghan's surplus in the 11th count, overtaking Sinn Féin's Chris Andrews coming into the last stretch.Mr Andrews only got 95.
As Mr Hayes had not reached the quota, Ms Bacik's surplus had to be transferred as well.
Mr Hayes got 263 out of 585 transferable votes compared to 36 for Mr Andrews. Mr Hayes ended up winning by 7,012 to 6,294 on the 12th and final count.
Coming into the election, much of the speculation concerned Fine Gael and how they were going to win back a seat lost in the 2021 by-election to Ms Bacik and their chances of winning two seats.
Former Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell decided to go as an Independent after negotiations with the party were not fruitful.
In the event she won just 4.6% of the first preferences, while Ms Blain, who took over as the second Fine Gael candidate, polled better than expected, getting 10.2% on the first count and lasting until the 8th.
The Fine Gael party will wonder if they missed the chance of a second seat in this election.
How it ended ...
