The Cork South West candidate managed to hold onto her seat in the Dáil. Her party has now won eleven seats in the election, nearly doubling their 2020 total of six. As the count goes on in several constituencies, the party is anticipated to gain further ground.

"The party is in a very strong position to play an important role in the next Dáil," Ms. Cairns said in a statement. It is unclear what role the government or opposition will play.

According to her, the Social Democrats will discuss government formation in "due course" with the other parties.

"Our success in this election is down to the calibre of our candidates and the positive campaign we ran," said Ms Cairns.

"The Social Democrats did not engage in auction politics, we were clear with the electorate about what our deal-breakers for government would be, and that clarity and sincerity helped us to stand out from other parties."

According to the party leader, the last week has been extremely significant for her on a personal and political level. Ms. Cairns and her partner welcomed a baby girl, their first child, on Friday.