Ferries and helicopter carry ballot papers to islanders

FERRIES and a helicopter carried ballot papers to the first of 2,600 island residents voting in the general election. Islanders in Donegal South-West and Mayo voted two days ahead of tomorrow’s mainland poll.

Aran Island residents off Galway will vote today and ballot papers will be delivered to islands off Cork on the same day as the mainland poll on Friday.

Just over 950 ballot papers were carried to islands yesterday, 760 of them to Arranmore, Gola, Inishboffin, Inishfree and Tory Island off Donegal and 194 to Mayo constituency islands of Clare Island, Inishbiggle and Inishturk.