Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon was poised early this morning to pull off the most dramatic electoral surprise in recent years by taking a European seat in Connacht-Ulster from Fianna Fail.
As counting continued early this morning the Fianna Fail Minister of State, Mr Noel Treacy, had already been eliminated and the only question to be decided was whether Dana or the western development campaigner, Ms Marian Harkin, would take the seat. Fianna Fail activists at the count believed that Dana would win.
On the first count Dana outpolled Mr Treacy. He had been widely expected to inherit the seat held by Mr Mark Killilea, who retired at this election. The first two seats were expected to go to Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher (Fianna Fail) and Mr Joe McCartin (Fine Gael).
As votes from lower-placed candidates were distributed, Ms Harkin also overtook Mr Treacy and it became clear that the final seat would be between Dana and Ms Harkin.
At 1 a.m. it was the transfers of Sinn Fein's Mr Sean MacManus, Labour's Mr Ger Gibbons and independent Mr Luke "Ming" Flanagan which finally decided that Mr Treacy would fall out of the race ahead of Ms Harkin and Dana.
Mr Treacy's votes were then expected to elect Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher with a substantial surplus. Dana was then over 3,000 votes ahead of Ms Harkin, and Mr Gallagher's surplus was expected to elect Dana.
Fianna Fail activists at the count in Bundoran early this morning said they expected Dana to take the third seat, with the final outcome being decided by the distribution of Mr Gallagher's surplus.
Dana, who ran unsuccessfully in the presidential election in 1997, began considering then whether to run for the European Parliament. After considering the four-seat Munster constituency as an option she chose to run in Connacht-Ulster, which as a three-seater was seen by many observers as a less attractive choice.
During the campaign she faced accusations of opportunism. The independent Munster MEP, Mr Pat Cox, described her as a "political tourist".
However, as the count progressed in Bundoran it first became clear that both she and Ms Harkin had performed well, then that one of them might challenge for the seat, and then that Mr Treacy would actually be eliminated before either of them and that the final seat would be between the two independent women.