Offshore islanders cast their votes

Some 12 offshore islands vote today in the local and European elections.

Air Corps helicopters airlifted returning officers and ballot boxes from the mainland to Tory Island and Inisboffin off Donegal.

The ’king’ of Tory Island, Patsy Dan Rodgers was one of the first to cast his ballot, on the settlement, nine miles off the Co Donegal coast.

Local boats also brought returning officers and ballot boxes to islands off Co Mayo and Co Galway.

Tory Island, Inisboffin, Arranmore, Gola, and Inishfree off Co Donegal have a total of 754 votes, according to the Department of Environment.

Co Mayo’s Clare Island, Inishbiggle and Inishturk have 193 while the Aran Islands off Co Galway have 1,178.

The seven islands off Co Cork (467 votes) will vote with the rest of the country tomorrow because they are more accessible from the mainland.

Each polling station will have two separate ballot boxes for the local and European elections.

The nation’s voters are electing 12 MEPs to the European Parliament and 1,627 councillors to 114 local authorities.

Residents of Dublin Central and Dublin South will also be choosing Dáil TDs to replace the late Tony Gregory and Seamus Brennan who both died in the past year.