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Updated 11.19pm
THE RESULTS OF two exit polls suggest that the Yes side in the Eighth Referendum is set to win by a huge margin.
A poll for the Irish Times suggests that the result of the referendum is 68% in favour of yes to 32% for no, while one for RTÉ estimates that 69.4% voted yes.
The Irish Times exit poll was conducted by Ipsos/MRBI on 4,000 respondents at 160 polling stations in every constituency. The margin for error is estimated at +/- 1%.
The highest yes vote was in Dublin, according to the exit poll, with 77% of people voting yes. Support among women was 70% in favour of repealing the Eighth, while it suggests that 87% of 18-24-year-olds voted for a repeal.
The RTÉ’s exit poll, announced on the Late Late Show by Behaviour & Attitudes, was conducted interviewing 3,000 people across Ireland immediately after they voted today. There was a broadly similar yes vote among men and women with, again, almost four-fifths in Dublin voting yes.
In Connacht and Ulster, 62% voted yes according to the RTÉ exit poll.
Although only an indication of how the Irish public voted, the strong margin in favour of Yes has led campaigners on that side to begin celebrating a victory, while No campaigners have conceded the vote.
Turnout was reported to be high across the country today, with estimates putting the number of voters ahead of the 60% that voted in the 2015 marriage equality referendum.
Polling boxes are set to open at 9am in the morning around the country, as the votes are tallied in the Eighth Amendment referendum.
Early tallies from count centres around the country are expected from midday onwards, and we’re likely to know definitively which side has won from 2pm onwards.
The official result will be announced from Dublin Castle, with rough estimates placing that at around 4-4.30pm.
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Historically, it was always considered notable how common it was for Irish women to fight alongside men. This can likely be traced back to Brehon Law attitudes that tended to hold women in equal regard to men in Ireland since time immemorial. Then the Catholic Church entered the frame and 3,500 years of equality unravelled in a matter of months, but Irish attitudes often remained.
It took Ireland centuries to convert, and even so they were not Catholic.
Catholicism came with the Normans in 1169. In fact, it was a large part of their casus belli that the Irish were part of the “Celtic Church”, and needed to be brought under the fold.
What also remains is the blaming of the Catholic Church for everything….. probably from British rule and people’s slavish deference to their media.
Firstly, no Catholic Church, early Christian Church conversion.
Secondly, same in rest of the world.
Thirdly, people choose to treat women in a certain way. Men chose wrong here for decades.
Fourthly, Ireland is one of the best countries to be a woman in, according to the Oecd.
A lot of the women and men of the 1916-1921 period were ignored by our governments for years.
The only people who turned up at 1916 commomerations were overweight special branchers with handicams filming “republicans” while junkies were injecting themselves and harrassing people.
Way to go.
First comment turns the forum into a Catholic bashing exercise.
I’m actually with Oran on this one. It was the industrial revolution that fixed the ideas on women that we have. The Church only provided a mechanism, as it did everywhere, Catholic or not.
Liam knew once he bashed the Catholic Church, even though he was wrong, he was bound to get green thumbs…
@liam. What you say is true. De Valera even had our fighting women air-brushed from photographs. Hardly surprising – Sure didn’t he allow McQuaid to dictate our constitution & enslaved us into the Catholic Church to replace Britain.
Oran, I think it’s fair to say that the Catholic church did nothing to rectify the inequality for many centuries, and continues in that fine tradition today. So you can call it bashing if you like, but at best they’re collaborators with a bad culture, but we all know they helped to keep women in their supposed place.
@declan madsen – The Catholic Church kept everyone in their place. All children were intimidated by Catholicism from an early age & most up to 20yrs ago, in their adulthood as well.
We could do with a few of these determined women about the place today.
Great idea, but sorry to see their partners unrecognised when they served side by side. Kathleen Lynn and Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen and Elizabeth O’Farrell and Shelia (Julia) Grennan – “Eirebrushed” our play on 1916 lesbian and gay heroes is on in Players Theatre TCD May 2-7th 730pm http://www.gaytheatre.ie
Specifying some theatre as “gay” seems superfluous; wouldn’t “straight theatre” be more unusual and unique realistically?
Happily not just as Irish or American is equally valid. It’s our 13th season heading past 3500 performances and companies from 5 continents who see its relevance, importance and artistic identity. Pop along in May!
Here’s why you’ll see these women on buses all over Ireland
(but you won’t see them underneath them)
Trying too hard Oran. Show some respect
It’s not doing Anything for Anybody. What’s the Point. Surely we can invest money in things for people.
I’d recognise David Rooneys artwork anywhere. Stunning as always.
Pearce was a woman
Mná na hÉireann…like omg lol
See the pols where around in 1916 too
have your say