THE NORTH-WEST: It was expected the final turnout would be higher throughout the north-west than in 1997, despite bad weather in many areas.
Before the tea-time rush both Donegal constituencies were already reporting a turnout of up to 35 per cent, which was slightly higher than at the same time in recent general elections.
Throughout the day, the turnout in Donegal was some two or three percentage points ahead of the State figure.
In Donegal South West it was expected the final turnout would be over 70 per cent.
Voting in Sligo/Leitrim was brisk in the morning but torrential rain kept the booths quieter in the afternoon.
By tea-time some Sligo town centres had already reached a turnout of 40 per cent.
The vote in working-class areas seemed higher than in more affluent districts, and if this trend was maintained it would help candidates such as Sinn Féin's Seán MacManus and Labour's Declan Bree.
It could also reflect dissatisfaction at the recent privatisation of the refuse collection service in the town.
Supporters of the Independent candidate, Ms Marian Harkin, were concerned that the bad weather might have affected her vote, the logic being that hard-line party supporters are more likely to vote regardless of the conditions.
Throughout the day there was a higher turnout in Leitrim than in Sligo. Some of this may be explained by the fact that Leitrim now has a Fianna Fáil and a Fine Gael deputy, and both parties stressed the importance of holding the two seats rather than letting one go to Sligo.
Before the expected tea-time rush about 33 per cent of the Leitrim electorate had voted, while Sligo was showing an average at that stage of 30 per cent. This was more or less in line with the turnout at this time in previous general elections.
The earlier opening of the booths only had a marginal effect in areas where some factory workers voted on their way to work.
It was thought that the late-night opening could also help push up the final turnout, as the region has a high percentage of young people studying or working away from home.
Donegal North East escaped the worst of the rain until after 5 p.m. and the turnout there was slightly up on 1997.