Outgoing TD Mick Barry has conceded defeat and cancelled his request for a recount in Cork North Central.
The Solidarity member has been a TD since 2016 and requested the recount after Labour’s Eoghan Kenny won the fifth and final seat by 35 votes last night.
A recheck of around two-thirds of the ballots widened the 24-year-old County Councillor’s lead to 39 votes.
Mick Barry spoke to reporters after informing the returning officer and Eoghan Kenny of his decision:
"We're not going to stay here until midnight just for the sake of it. It's clear the direction in which things were going and on that basis we called for the recount to end... I feel fine, I'm a bit tired. I got four and a half hours sleep after a three and half week maelstrom of a campaign preceded by months of a pre-campaign. I'm fine, we gave it our best shot."
