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The 8th

Meet the man who's been collecting referendum leaflets since 1983

Alan Kinsella’s archive dates back almost four decades – and it’s still growing.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

ALAN KINSELLA BEGAN collecting Irish election literature the year before the referendum on the introduction of the Eighth Amendment – so, as you might imagine, he has a trove of items in his archive from that contentious 1983 vote.

The ’83 referendum, which followed an intensive lobbying campaign by pro-life activists, was arguably the most divisive national poll of the last 50 years.

Other referendums on the issue have followed in subsequent decades – notably in 1992, when the electorate agreed to the right to travel for an abortion and the right to information.

Kinsella talked us through his still growing collection this week. Although the personalities have changed through the years, he said, many of the arguments from the two sides have remains constant.

You can follow Alan on Twitter here – and check out more from his collection at his website, IrishElectionLiterature.com.

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