The three largest parties were virtually neck-and-neck heading into the vote, according to the latest opinion poll.

Some 174 seats across 43 constituencies in Ireland's parliament are being contested. The vote will close at 10pm with counting getting under way on Saturday morning.

Ireland goes to the polls on Friday with the incumbent coalition parties neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein after a campaign marked by rancour over housing and cost-of-living crises.

The polls have opened for the 2024 General Election, as the people of Ireland get the opportunity to vote in the next Government.

Voters head to the polls this morning for a General Election which will set the political landscape in Ireland for the next five years.

The polls are set to open for the Irish general election. Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 local time on Friday to allow voters to choose representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas (Ireland's parliament).

Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris had called for snap polls earlier this month.Voting began on Friday morning in Ireland's general election amid a tight race between the incumbent coalition parties and the opposition party Sinn Fein.

As polls in the country’s general election prepare to open on Friday, there are lots of voters who say they feel “frustrated” and “grumpy”. Pressures around housing, immigration and public services have dominated the campaign.