Fianna Fail Senator Niall Blaney has been eliminated after the fifteenth count in the Midlands Northwest constituency.
Luke Ming Flanagan still leads the way and is now 10,000 votes off the quota - while Nina Carberry, Maria Walsh and Barry Cowen also look certain to be elected along with him.
Meanwhile Independent Irelands Ciaran Mullooly has moved even further ahead and is in pole position to win the final seat
He is now almost 17,000 votes clear of Aontú's Peadar Tóibín and Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew.
Gildernew will need significant transfers from her party colleague Chris McManus when he is eliminated later today.
Counting gets underway again at 9am this morning, with the final count is expected tonight.
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