The country has voted to insert children’s rights into the Constitution.
58% voted to back the 31st amendment in the poll yesterday.
3 constituencies – Dublin North-West and the 2 in Donegal rejected the Children’s Referendum.
Just over 1 million people turned out to vote yesterday which is 1/3 of those entitled to.
In the end 58% of those backed the constitutional change with 42% against it a much closer result than had been predicted.
Spoiled votes
More than 4,600 people spoiled their votes including some who sent messages of support to the jailed businessman Sean Quinn.
The 2 Donegal comstituencies of North-East and South-West as well as Dublin North-West officially rejected the referendum.
All other constituencies voted Yes with Dublin-South the hiughest at 73%, Kildare-North the highest outside the capital at 66%.
The tightest votes were in Cork North-Central which backed the change by just 47 votes while the rejection in Dublin North-West was by 137.
Just after 2pm this afternoon national returning officer Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile announced the result.
