The veteran criminal had opened up a seemingly unassailable lead over rival Marie Sherlock in Dublin Central by Sunday afternoon but there was to be a final twist in one of the stories of the general

GANG boss Gerry Hutch has failed to land a Dail seat as a nail-biting election race. The Monk, 61, was a shock contender in Dublin Central constituency and landed 3,098 first preference

Transfers could carry controversial candidate across the line, former Fianna Fáil leader and Dublin Central TD predicts

The alleged leader of the Hutch criminal organisation was followed around the counting centre in Dublin by a huge media scrum, as security staff struggled to keep control, and when he was asked if he would run again he said: "I've been running all my life,

The independent candidate, 61, was seen running away through the Royal Dublin Society car park being followed by the media.

The convicted Dublin criminal, also known as The Monk, received the fourth-highest first preference vote in the four-seat constituency with almost 10 per cent of the vote