The impact of Kerry opposition to repealing the Eighth Amendment ahead of the vote may well have influenced public opinion on the Limerick border.
In all, 12 polling stations in rural Limerick returned boxes with higher percentages of No votes.
The overall result for Limerick County saw repealing of the referendum supported by 58.1 per cent, but the west Limerick areas of Foynes and Tournafulla saw boxes with majorities of almost 60 per cent voting to retain the Eighth.
Clouncagh in west Co Limerick was the only polling station in both Limerick constituencies where the vote was evenly split, according to tallies.
My view is very clear that the Oireachtas now is bound by the will of the people. I actually don't believe now that there should be a vote taken in the Seanad on the issue
Junior Minister Patrick O'Donovan from West Limerick was among the minority of Fine Gael TDs who did not support the removal of the amendment.
Speaking at the count in Limerick, he accepted the Oireachtas must now act on the will of the people, adding there must be no "filibustering" on the issue.
‘Purely personal issue’
“It was a purely personal issue for me. In general I would have no difficulty with the thrust of most of legislation, like a lot of colleagues of mine in the Dáil. The people are sovereign at the end of the day and their will is sovereign.
“My view is very clear that the Oireachtas now is bound by the will of the people. I actually don’t believe now that there should be a vote taken in the Seanad on the issue…
“Members of the Oireachtas are only there by the will of the people and I believe now that the legislation should be moved on as quickly as possible.”
Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins, also of West Limerick, accused TDs opposed to repeal of being disconnected from the public.
“I think some of our parliamentary party are disconnected from where the public are. That is evident, and it was borne out in recent polls.
“The most recent polls showed Fianna Fáil supporters, when you stripped out the ‘don’t knows’ and ‘would not votes’ – 58 per cent of Fianna Fáil supporters said they would vote ‘Yes’. There is a message there for some within the Fianna Fáil party that the public are well ahead on this issue.”
Some 62 per cent of people turned out to vote in the referendum in Co Limerick, 4 per cent more than in the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum.
