Slow turn-out so far at Cavan polling stations

News

Voting was "very slow" or "very quiet" in the first hour of voting across Cavan, in both urban and rural areas.

Turn-out so far is on par or even lower than the last referendum which has surprised some polling station staff.

However, an upswing is expected as the day continues.

In Cavan, a total of 36 candidates are seeking election across three Municipal Districts - Cavan-Belturbet, Ballyjamesduff, and Bailieborough-Cootehill.

The group includes eight Fianna Fáil candidates, seven each for Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, three standing for Aontú, two for Independent Ireland, and one each for Labour, the Green Party, Irish Freedom, The Irish People, and five across various non-party or independent platforms

In Belturbet (Cavan-Belturbet MD) turnout in one box by 8am was 1.1%, but as the number was totted up there were several cars pulling up with voters getting in to have their say before making their way to work

Cavan Town was slow too at St Clare's NS, the main polling station for the County Town, and in Ballyjamesduff (Ballyjamesduff MD), turnout was even too small to breakdown at this early stage.

Things are a little busier further east, in Mullagh, where there was a flurry of morning voters before travelling to work while the turn-out at the polling station at St Mary's NS in Virginia was described as "steady".

The chains were beginning to move too in the likes of Kill, near Cootehill, another rural voting station.