'It's all down to the last count' says Shanahan following strong transfers in 10th count

"It's all down to the last count," says Independent Candidate Matt Shanahan ahead of the 11th count. Shanahan, who received 820 transfers in the 10th count, is sitting at 7,186 votes, just 639 votes behind Conor McGuinness (7,825) who received just 411 transfers in that round.

Shanahan said; "It sounds like I would want to be transferring at a rate of more than 2-to-1 to have any chance given the number of votes that are still available."

"It's going to be very tight, but at least by the next announcement we'll know what the decision is."

He said that the results following the tenth count had not given him more hope, "I'm hopeful the whole time."

Shanahan nearly doubled the number of transfers that his main opponent Sinn Féin's Conor McGuinness received in the 10th count, paving the way for a tense final count. 

Tally counters are busy tallying away in the count centre but Shanahan says "You can't predict the transfers here at this stage, they're very, very volatile."

"Some transfers are going to be party-based and some will be location related, it's really impossible to say."

"Anyone trying to understand the transfers should go and work for Paddy Power."