Former Minister Charlie McConalogue hopeful of retaining his seat ...

Fianna Fáil candidate and former Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland Charlie McConalogue is still in the running for a seat in Donegal despite appearing to be in trouble early on.

100% Redress Party candidate Charles Ward has overtaken Mr McConalogue in the race for the fourth seat and the fifth seat is set to be a tight between McConalogue and Independent Thomas Pringle.

Speaking at the count centre, Mr McConalogue said he remains in a strong position and is hopeful Fianna Fáil will have two TDs in Donegal.

"It has been long couple of day and it will be a long night but I am grateful for the support I have got across the county.

"It has been a challenging election but we are in a strong position.

"If Fianna Fáil can take two seats here tonight it will be a great result for the party but also for the people of Donegal.

"There is a very strong prospect of Donegal being in government the next time around so I think it would be good and really important for the county to have two government TDs, particularly if we can have ministerial input into government too.

"It all remains to be see. It has been very close throughout but we see how it evolves,” said Mr McConalogue.

The 100% Redress Party look at have successfully secured a seat.

The party was formed by defective concrete block campaigners in support of homeowners who are impacted by the crisis.

Mr McConalogue has previously came under fire for his support for the government’s redress scheme.

However, Mr McConalogue believes many affected homeowners have voted for him due to his hard work on the crisis.

"This is the number one issue I have worked on over the last four years.

"As a Cabinet Minster, I have worked to get the scheme to where it is today. There has been massive changes to the scheme which is working much better for people now.

"We have over 300 homes in construction.

"I have many defective block homeowners homeowners who have supported me in this election because of the work I have done on this issue,” said Mr McConalogue.

Mr McConalogue said the Fianna Fáil vote is up the county by three or four percent while his own vote has held steady since 2020.

However, he said the key question is if the party can take two seats in Donegal.

“We did not take two seats in Donegal last time but we could take the two seats today.

"We have put in a massive effort and I am very grateful for all the party members and the work they have done,” said Mr McConalogue.