The newly elected 34^th Dáil is meeting for the first time today (Wednesday, December 18) to take care of the business of electing the Ceann Comhairle.

Today will also see some ceremonial business to mark the start of the new Dáil.

The new Dáil has 174 TDs, making it the largest Dáil in the history of the state. This Dáil will have 14 more TDs than the last.

Business began earlier this morning, when the clerk of the Dáil read a proclamation summoning the house.

The clerk then gave a report on the issue of writs of election, which involved a formal announcement of the names of TDs elected to the Dáil.

The business of electing the Ceann Comhairle will then take up most of the day. This is set to continue until later in the afternoon.

The Ceann Comhairle in the previous Dáil was Fianna Fáil Kildare South TD Seán Ó Fearghaíl. He began serving as Ceann Comhairle in 2016.

The process of nominating a Taoiseach is also scheduled for today. This will take place later in the evening.

However, that process will not be completed today, and while some parties (most likely those that formed the opposition in the last Dáil) may make a nomination, a candidate for Taoiseach that would be in a position to receive the backing of a majority of the 174 TDs is not likely to be nominated today.

The house is set to adjourn at around 5:30p.m this evening.

The new Dáil will include a mix of old and new faces, as well as some returning members who missed out on election in 2020.

One notable difference in this new Dáil will be the comparative lack of Green Party TDs; the party went into General Election 2024 with 12 TDs, but almost came out of with none. Its leader, Roderic O'Gorman, was the only one of the party's candidates to be returned.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in talks about returning to government in a coalition, but would fall just short of the 88 seats needed for a majority.

This means that they will rely on smaller parties or independents, or a combination of both, to make up a workable majority.

Talks have also taken place between Sinn Féin and other smaller parties about potentially forming a government.

The party breakdown of TDs returned to the 34^th Dáil is:

Fianna Fáil - 48;
Sinn Féin - 39;
Fine Gael - 38;
Labour - 11;
Social Democrats - 11;
Independent Ireland - 4;
People Before Profit-Solidarity - 3;
Aontú - 2;
Green Party - 1;
Independents - 16;
100% Redress Party - 1.