DONEGAL BYELECTION:ISLANDERS OFF Donegal voted yesterday in the Donegal South West byelection, three days before mainlanders cast their votes.
There were 754 ballot papers carried to polling boxes in Arranmore, Tory, Inishbofin, Inishfree and Gola, but islanders said quite a number of people had emigrated in recent years and were not there to vote.
Ferries and small boats carried 521 papers to two polling booths on Arranmore, 23 on Gola and seven to Inishfree.
An Air Corps helicopter carried 138 to Tory and 65 to Inishboffin.
People on Arranmore, on which Pat The Cope Gallagher regularly topped the poll, said there was a massive swing against Fianna Fáil, despite a high-powered party delegation of campaigners on Saturday that included the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and Ministers Éamon Ó Cuív and Tony Killeen.
Fishing was the main issue on Arranmore where there were 35 boats, employing 150 islanders, 20 years ago. The number is now reduced to a handful of boats with about 20 people fishing for a living following EU restrictions which have angered locals.
The King of Tory, Patsy Dan Rodgers, said residents were furious that none of the parties had sent campaigners to the island.