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Associated Press
Electoral officer Hugh O' Donnell, left, and Garda Brendan McCann deliver the Lisbon referendum ballot box on Inishfree Island in 2009.
# Early birds
Voting's all done and dusted - if you live on one of these 12 islands
Islanders cast their votes a day before people on the mainland.
Updated 11.15pm
POLLS WILL OPEN across most of the country tomorrow, but voting has already finished if you live off the west and northwest coasts.
Eligible voters on 12 Donegal, Mayo and Galway islands – 2,133 in total – were able to cast their ballots from 7am this morning.
The electorate included 516 people on Arranmore, 25 on Gola, 63 on Inishbofin (Donegal), four on Inishfree, 144 on Tory Island, 121 on Clare Island, 29 on Inishbiggle, 50 on Inishturk, 654 on Inishmore, 151 on Inishmaan, 200 on Inisheer and 176 on Inishbofin (Galway).
Island residents traditionally vote ahead of the rest of the country to prevent bad weather delaying ballot boxes being transferred to count centres.
Air Corps helicopters picked up the full boxes this evening and ferried them to the mainland after voting concluded at 10pm.
Some 450 people on islands off Cork – including Bere, Clear and Sherkin – will vote tomorrow when the polls open nationwide.
Counting for the elections begins on Saturday, with the process expected to continue into Monday.
- First published 06.00am
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