In Derry all the indications were pointing to an unusually high poll, reports George Jackson. By noon a quarter of the electorate had voted, and electoral staff at polling stations throughout the city estimated the turnout at 4 p.m. at 40 per cent.
"That figure is extremely high for this area," said one of the electoral staff. "Normally in elections in Derry, half the votes are not cast until between teatime and close of poll. If that tradition is maintained, we're expecting somewhere in the region of the high 70s percentagewise."