Fianna Fail annihilation, Fine Gael celebration, Labour elation, Sinn Féin ovation.

Caption: SF (Sinn Féin), FF (Fianna Fail), FG (Fine Gael), LB (Labour), GP (Green Party)

The ruling party Fianna Fail took a historical defeat as expected, the worse in its history, with its only voting (including the ones that elected Brian Cowen‘s brother), I believe came from unsealed ballot boxes, Enda Kenny‘s Fine Gael is in charge with Labour, while both Labour and Sinn Féin doubled its presence and Gerry Adams took a seat as TD in Louth.

According to Wikipedia,

Fine Gael is generally seen as more to the political right than its major rival Fianna Fáil but has never been in power without the centre-left Labour Party. Fine Gael is variously described as a centre-right or centrist party, though it describes itself as a “party of the progressive centre”. The party lists its core values as equality of opportunity, fiscal rectitude, free enterprise and reward, individual rights and responsibilities. It is strongly pro-EU and opposed to violent Irish republicanism.

While according to some people in Ireland right now,

Enda will be hitting the beer in Castlebar tonight no doubt, brown envelopes to be left in behind the bar in Coady’s, Linenhall St.

Mary Lou McDonald and Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Sinn Féin) as they arrive at the Dublin Count Centre in the RDS

Most of the countries local electorate shifted towards the political left, with a notorious Dublin North West having no Fianna Fail nor Fine Gael representatives, and most of Dublin having no Fianna Fail representatives at all.

In all terms, Ireland needs a strong opposition to keep the ruling party in its toes, as all other politically relevant countries do.