First Donegal byelection votes cast

Residents of Donegal’s outlying islands are casting their byelection votes today.

Residents of Donegal’s outlying islands are casting their byelection votes today.

Some 754 people on five islands are entitled to vote today in the Donegal South West poll. The islands are Arranmore, Tory, Inishbofin, Inishfree and Gola.

The remainder of the constituency will vote on Thursday.

An opinion poll taken last week shows Sinn Féin’s Donegal South West candidate Pearse Doherty leading the field.

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An opinion conducted by RedC Research on behalf of bookmaker Paddy Power shows the Sinn Féin senator is set to take 40 per cent of first preference votes.

Fianna Fáil candidate Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill is on target to take 19 per cent, followed by Fine Gael’s Barry O’Neill on 15 per cent and Labour Party candidate Frank McBrearty on 14 cent.

The seat has been vacant since Fianna Fáil's Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher won a European Parliament seat in June, 2009.