Gale-force winds and rain, combined with confusion over the issues influenced a low turnout at polling stations in the west, writes Lorna Siggins, from Galway.
Turnout in the Mayo constituency was estimated at between 35 and 40 per cent last night, an hour before polling stations were due to close. In Galway city and county turnout was slightly lower.
The blustery weather led to a poor turnout at the polling booths in Limerick East and West, but numbers picked up in the late afternoon, writes Éibhir Mulqueen, from Limerick. A turnout greater than that of the Nice Treaty was expected.
A final turnout of about 35 per cent was expected in the north- west, where voting picked up considerably in the evening, writes Theresa Judge, from Sligo. The bad weather earlier in the day resulted in an unusually low turnout up to lunchtime.
Towns such as Sligo and Carrick- on-Shannon were recording a higher turnout than rural areas. By 7.30 p.m., only about a quarter of the electorate had voted in Sligo town and in some parts of rural Sligo this was as low as 15 per cent.
In contrast, voting in the south-east was brisk, writes Chris Dooley, from Wexford.
Ms Marie Garahy, the returning officer for the county, said that from as early as 10 a.m., polling- station staff were noticing an increase in the turnout compared to Nice.
By 8 p.m., a 37 per cent turnout had been recorded at one polling station in Wexford town, while at Crossabeg, a rural station near Wexford town, the final turnout was expected to be about 50 per cent. The turnout in rural areas appeared to be strong, she said, and possibly exceeded that in urban centres.
Kilkenny city looked was set to record a turnout of around 50 per cent, but voting was much slower in rural areas.
By close of polling in Louth, indications were of a turnout of between 35 and 40 per cent, with experienced pundits predicting 38 per cent, writes Elaine Keogh.
Voting started very slowly, with less than 15 per cent in some rural areas by late afternoon. The urban areas of Dundalk, Drogheda and Ardee were around 5-8 per cent busier but there was a teatime and early-evening rush. Despite this, the turnout seemed to be on a par with that for the Nice referendum.
Parents of children at St Finian's national school in Clonard, Co Meath, refused to let the school function as a polling station as a protest at the poor condition of the school buildings. As a result, about 1,000 voters had to travel to another school 6 km away.
In Cork, widespread apathy was apparent in the city up to lunchtime, writes Dick Hogan, from Cork. Seasoned tallymen said that by 6.30 p.m. the turnout was as low as 17 per cent in some parts of Douglas, while across the city, in Ballincollig, 20 per cent was the highest figure recorded.
However, as the evening wore on the trend picked up and predictions were that on average, the turnout in Cork would reach between 44 per cent and 50 per cent by close of poll.
Voter turnout in Co Kerry in both constituencies was estimated to be as low as 30 per cent in some areas shortly before stations closed, writes Anne Lucey, from Killarney.
Rural booths were reporting a 35 per cent poll on what was a bad night. In Killarney town, one station was reporting a 35 per cent average turnout a half hour before closing. In Tralee the estimate was 30 per cent.