Ireland goes to polls with three parties neck and neck

Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein all on about 20% in opinion polls after short, sharp campaign

• Ireland's election: the parties, the issues and the voting

Ireland is going to the polls with voters expected to choose either a second term for the incumbent centre-right coalition or a left-leaning rainbow coalition led by a resurgent Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA.

Opinion polls show a dead heat, with the two main government parties - Fine Gael, led by the taoiseach, Simon Harris, and Fianna Fail, led by the former PM Micheal Martin - and Sinn Fein all hovering at about 20% of the vote.