SF’s Pearse Doherty: Donegal in dramatic abortion shift over recent decades

Donegal has seen a “dramatic shift” in abortion attitudes over recent decades despite becoming the only county to vote no on Friday, a parliamentarian said.

More than 100 polling stations across the constituency returned a referendum yes vote but the overall count was narrowly against.

Sinn Fein member of the Dail for the area Pearse Doherty said: “Donegal has changed and is continuing to change and those conversations are continuing.”

The exodus has left an older population, typically rural and reliant on tourism and farming.

Donegal has often felt “left behind” and isolated from the rest of the Republic, Mr Doherty added.

He took a very positive message from the result, that the gap had closed and the conversations continued.

“It was a dramatic shift and while it was disappointing that the constituency did not make those extra thousand votes you have to recognise that in over 100 polling stations across the county there was a yes vote.”