Irish election exit poll predicts even split between three main parties

A man walks past a poster in Dublin city centre. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

An exit poll in Ireland suggests a dead heat between Sinn Féin and the taoiseach’s party Fine Gael in the general election, with Fianna Fáil only slightly behind.

The survey of first preference votes is the first real indication of how Ireland voted after three weeks of canvassing in the snap election called by Simon Harris.