The old and the new: Key facts about the 32nd Dáil

25: There will be a number of young TDs taking seats in Leinster House for the new Dáil, and Fianna Fáil's Jack Chambers claims the honour of being the youngest at 25 years old. The former Fingal councillor was elected on the fourth count in the fiercely contested Dublin West constituency.

72: At the other end of the spectrum, Fine Gael's veteran outgoing Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, helps to balance out the age profile. He turns 73 in May.

29: The number of women elected at last count late last night. It is already higher than the 27 women who were part of the 31st Dáil when it was dissolved, and the number is likely to rise to more than 30 after Ireland's first general election involving gender quotas.

8: Reforms brought about following the 2012 Constituency Commission mean there will be 158 TDs in the 32nd Dáil, eight fewer than before. Of course, only 157 had to go through the rigours of the public election process with Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett given a free pass.

End of an era: Paul Connaughton's failure to gain election in Galway East brings an end to a tradition of public representation within his family that stretches back three and a half decades – for the time being at least.

His father, Paul Connaughton snr, first claimed a Dáil seat in 1981 and was returned at every subsequent election until his retirement from public life in 2011, when his son Paul took up the mantle.½

Dynasties continue: Other renowned political dynasties continue to flourish: both Michael and Danny Healy-Rae carry on their father's tradition in Kerry, while Charlie Flanagan continues to carry the torch in Laois as his father, Oliver J Flanagan, did before him. Meanwhile, Helen McEntee retains her seat, which she won in a byelection after the death of her father, Shane McEntee, in 2013.