Kilkenny election count - tally system secured for another generation!

As we wait for the official count to begin at the Carlow-Kilkenny general election count centre everyone is hanging on the information emerging from The Tally.

An election tally is a traditional feature of an Irish election - something  not seen in other countries and a godsend for political anoraks and candidates alike who just can't wait all day to know what's going on at the count!

This morning, in the Loreto Secondary School sports hall which is our count centre, the 100-strong team was ready to go the minute the doors opened, just before 9am.

A long-established tradition, there were fears in recent elections that the system was  dying out when very few turned up to tally referendum counts. However, the political parties have ensured a wave of fresh faces have joined the tally team. In elections past we were used to seeing experienced faces around the barriers, today the fresh faces of people new to elections and tallying have joined the experienced team. The parties have ensured the future of the special, Irish tally system.

How does it work? A group of people from across the political parties come together to watch as the ballot boxes are opened. They count every first preference they see on ballot papers. This information is fed back to a central office which in Kilkenny is usually run by the political guru Pat O'Neill.

Who are they? 100 people are on the tally team today. They are men and women of all ages, from all the parties, armed wtih clipboards and pens.

Keep up to date with all the breaking stories from the count centre on the Carlow-Kilkenny Live Blog Click Here.