SOME LUCKY VOTERS in Co Tipperary have been treated to apple or rhubarb tart and a cup of tea or coffee after casting their ballot inside a sitting room being used as a polling station.

In Coolmoyne in South Tipperary, around 250 people are eligible to vote and they’re well used to voting inside someone’s home.

In 1967, the Coolmoyne National School closed its doors and new owners bought it and turned it into their home.

They allowed it to be used as a polling station but when they sold the home in 2007, it ceased to be used as the local polling station.

James Seymour, the Returning Officer for Co Tipperary, said the area was then stuck for a polling station as there was no public building available in the area.

However, local man Séan O’Donovan came to the rescue and offered the use of his house and it’s been used ever since.

Seymour said it’s probably the only private home in the country to be used as a polling station.”

Entrance to Séan O'Donovan's home, which is acting as a polling station James Seymour James Seymour

When people enter Séan’s home, they turn right and go into the sitting room in order to vote.

“Thankfully, Sean has cleared out all his good furniture and taken down all the figurines,” Seymour told RTÉ.

He explained: “There’s a polling station there in the sitting room, and his daughter, Ashling, and his neighbour, Monica, are the two polling staff.

“The polling booth is in one corner of the room and they’re in the other corner with the ballot box.”

While people might be torn as to who to vote for in the presidential election, perhaps the real choice comes after people cast their ballot.

“Once you’ve voted, you can either turn around and go out the way you came in,” said Seymour, “or you can go through the double doors into the kitchen, where there’ll be fresh apple tart, rhubarb tart, and a cup of tea or coffee.”

Voters are spoilt for choice after casting their vote James Seymour James Seymour

Seymour said the polling station unsurprisingly has a “very high turnout every time”.

“I visited it myself the last time, and I have to say the rhubarb tart is almost worth the heartburn for the rest of the day, it’s so good.”

He also said that when the ballot box is collected, musicians come to the house “for a bit of a hooley”.

Seymour added that he always makes it his business to get to the house at around 10.30pm to collect the ballot box and to sample the rhubarb tart.