Marriage Referendum: Much-maligned Middle Ireland emerges blinking into the dawn of a new world

The reaction to the constituency polls on Saturday resembled the overthrow of an old, despotic regime, writes Special Correspondent Michael Clifford

ON SATURDAY, the courtyard in Dublin Castle resembled a scene from a new, young country.

Throngs of people, drawn largely but not exclusively from a younger demographic, poured onto the ancient cobblestones to monitor results from a national poll. A big screen relayed results from the constituencies, each new colour-coded yes eliciting another whoop of joy, as if this was the first free vote following the overthrow of a despotic regime.