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Voting has ended in the Irish presidential election, which will settle who replaces current head of state Michael D Higgins in the eleventh month.

The two main contenders - Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys - must hold on until Saturday's early hours for the initial signals of how the country has cast ballots before finding out if they will become the tenth president of Ireland.

Initial estimates indicate the voter participation could potentially struggle to achieve the record low of just under 40% registered in the previous presidential race.

Vote Tallying

The counting of votes starts at 09:00 local time on Saturday and the official result is expected to be declared at the historic castle that night.

The president of Ireland is chosen by proportional representation via the single transferable vote (PR-STV) method.

Votes were placed at about numerous polling places in 43 constituencies around the nation between 07:00 and 10 PM on Friday.

Aspirants

Catherine Connolly is running as an non-aligned contender with the backing of a diverse range of progressive groups and elected officials, including the leading challenger party Sinn Féin.

The governing coalition, Fine Gael, is supported by former government minister, Heather Humphreys, who originates from a Protestant background in the boundary area of Monaghan.

A third candidate, Jim Gavin, who was selected by the leading alliance member, Fianna Fáil, stepped down from the race earlier in the tenth month after intense controversy over a 16-year-old rental dispute.

Nevertheless, as his exit came after the close of nominations, the legislation states his name must stay on the voting slip.

Any votes cast for him will be counted as valid and transferred to the remaining contenders if necessary.

Participation Facts

Per An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland's independent electoral commission, about millions of Irish citizens are qualified to cast ballots.

Those casting their vote on Friday included Bridie Dunphy, 104 years old, who went to a polling station in proximity to her residence in Dublin.

Irish citizens in the six counties are unable to vote in the election.

But, as occurred in the case of previous head of state Mary McAleese, Irish individuals from the northern territory are permitted to participate in the vote, even though they cannot participate.

This anomaly is the focus of an ongoing debate and advocacy groups have been advocating to have electoral privileges expanded to Irish citizens in the northern region.

Michael D Higgins is due to conclude the second of his two consecutive seven-year terms at midnight on the 10 November, with the new president expected to be sworn in the next day.