Running two candidates in Cork South West resulted in an historic loss for Fianna Fáil, where the party failed to return a TD for the first time in Irish electoral history.
Together, Christy O’Sullivan and Denis O’Donovan polled almost 11,000 first preferences, just 600 shy of the 11,415 quota.
“I am disappointed at how former senior people in the party in my own area came out against me,” outgoing Mr O’Sullivan said.
At 2.22am in Clonakilty on the sixth and final count, Fine Gael’s Noel Harrington and Labour Senator Michael McCarthy crossed the line to join poll topper, Fine Gael’s Jim Daly.
A delighted Mr Daly, from Drinagh, said he shut the door on a school teaching career to focus on the Dail challenge.
“I watched the count in 2002 when I saw the Fine Gael party fall on its knees and that was the night I decided I would give my right arm to become part of that engine,” he said.
Mr Harrington polled healthily from the beginning to secure the second seat.
Mr McCarthy pulled ahead of Mr O’Donovan in the closing counts to secure the third and final seat in this, his third time standing for election to the Dáil.