Kilkenny Elections: Here's how it looks so far, with early tallies in at Lyrath Estate conference centre
It's looking good for several sitting councillors already - while an independent also looks strong
Around three in every four boxes have been tallied here at the Kilkenny Count Centre.
These figures come with the warning that not all boxes are open and this is not an official count.
Early figures show Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick topping the tally in the Castlecomer area, followed by new candidate independent Maurice Shortall.
Chief tallyman Pat O'Neill, former senator and councillor, is predicting gains for independents and Sinn Féin in this local election.
Independents will likely include Eugene McGuinness (KK City) and Maurice Shortall (Castlecomer). Mr O'Neill thinks Sinn Féin will take a seat in Piltown, Callan Thomastown and at least one in the city.
His prediction for the next county council at this early stage:
Fine Gael 7 seats
Fianna Fáil 9 seat
Independents 2 seats
Sinn Féin 2/3 seats
Reminder this is based on early tally figures and is not a valid count