Lisbon Treaty Referendum 2009
Ireland has voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty by a final margin of 67.1% to 32.9%. Only two of the 43 constituencies voted against the Treaty. The turnout was 58 percent, the highest in a European referendum since the original vote on joining the then EEC in 1972.
It was the second time we'd been asked to decide on the Treaty. The first Lisbon referendum was held on Friday 13 June, 2008. Fifty-three percent of the electorate voted. Of that number, 53.4 percent said "no" and 46.6 percent said "yes".
After that, the Government negotiated guarantees with the European Council which it hoped would reassure those opposed to the Lisbon Treaty. But campaigners against the Treaty continued to argue that signing up to it would be bad for the country.
Morning Ireland has been providing information, analysis and debate up to and beyond the vote. Click below to listen to the coverage we've broadcast so far. It includes interviews with the Chairman of the Referendum Commission, Mr. Justice Frank Clarke. Every Friday during the month of September, he joined us in studio to try and clear up confusion about the Treaty. More information is also available from the Referendum Commission website at www.lisbontreaty2009.ie
Mr. Justice Clarke's interviews are also available as podcasts.
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Morning Ireland:
David Lidington, Conservative Party MP and shadow Foreign Policy spokesman, discusses the referendum issue -
Morning Ireland:
Mary Hanafin and Gerry Adams discuss the Lisbon Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Mary Gallagher, Árainn Mhór presiding officer, says about 60-65% of the electorate is expected to turn-out on the island -
Morning Ireland:
Pat McGrath spoke to voters in Galway to see if they have changed their minds since they voted in the last referendum on the Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Cian McCormack went on a canvass with Conor Lenihan, Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation, to see how he is convincing people to vote Yes -
Morning Ireland:
Cian McCormack went out and about with Richard Boyd Barrett, People Before Profit Alliance, to see how he is trying to get people to vote No -
Morning Ireland:
Patricia McKenna, People's Movement, questions the European Commission's involvement in the Lisbon Referendum debate -
Morning Ireland:
Mr Justice Frank Clarke, Chairman of the Referendum Commission, answers questions about the Treaty sent in by the public -
Morning Ireland:
Morning Ireland web extra: Mr Justice Frank Clarke answers more questions on the Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Billy Timmins, Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, and Richard Greene, Spokesperson for Cóir, discuss the Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Stephen Collins, Political Editor, The Irish Times, gives his analysis of a new poll on the Treaty in today's newspaper -
Morning Ireland:
Eleanor Burnhill reports on the new civic groups and well known personalities urging a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Cian McCormack spoke to young farmers about the Lisbon Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Ray Kinsella, UCD Smurfit Business School, & Pramit Ghose, Bloxham, discuss the consequences of both a Yes and a No vote -
Morning Ireland:
Day 3: Mr Justice Frank Clarke, Chairman of the Referendum Commission, answers questions sent in by listeners -
Morning Ireland:
Eamon Gilmore, Labour Party leader, & Eamon Devoy, TEEU, discuss the issues of workers' rights and the Lisbon Treaty -
Morning Ireland:
Anthony Coughlan, President of the Foundation for EU Democracy, discusses why Ireland should vote No -
Morning Ireland:
Pat Cox, Ireland for Europe, discusses the SBP opinion poll in which the Yes vote remains firm three weeks ahead of the referendum -
Morning Ireland:
Day 2: Mr Justice Frank Clarke, Chairman of the Referendum Commission, answers questions sent in by listeners -
Morning Ireland:
Eamon Gilmore, Labour Leader, discusses NAMA, Lisbon and the chances of Labour going into coalition with FF after the next General Election -
Morning Ireland:
Finian McGrath, Independent TD, says he currently does not know which way he will vote on 2 October -
Morning Ireland:
Cian McCormack reports from Kilmore Quay on how fishermen will vote in the Lisbon Treaty this time round -
Morning Ireland:
Enda Kenny, Fine Gael leader, discusses politics, Lisbon and NAMA, and says he would welcome a General Election tomorrow -
Morning Ireland:
Day 1: Mr Justice Frank Clarke, Chairman of the Referendum Commission, explains the role of the commission and discusses the campaign -
Morning Ireland:
David McCullagh, Political Correspondent, reports that support for the Lisbon treaty has slipped, according to the latest TNS/MRBI poll -
Morning Ireland:
Paul Colgan reports on the visual and psychological impact of posters being used by the Yes and No campaigns -
Morning Ireland:
Micheál Martin for the Yes side and Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin for No discuss the latest Lisbon poll results -
Morning Ireland:
Vincent Murphy reports on whether the No side feels it's missing leadership with the absence of Declan Ganley -
Morning Ireland:
Catherine Day, Secretary General of the European Commission, says it's in Ireland's interest to vote Yes in the referendum -
Morning Ireland:
Marta Andreasen, MEP for the UK Independence Party, says she is campaigning against the treaty because she believes it gives too much power to the EU -
Morning Ireland:
Joe Costello, Labour Party, and Jimmy Kelly, Unite union, debate the Lisbon Treaty in relation to workers' rights -
Morning Ireland:
Padraig Walshe, IFA President, says his association will be calling for a Yes vote despite proposed cuts in farm subsidies. Listen also to an extract of the interview with James Reynolds, chairman of the Farmers for No group, who spoke to Morning Ireland on 20 August, 2009 -
Morning Ireland:
Jim O'Hara, General Manager, Intel Ireland, discusses why he is urging a Yes vote on 2 October -
Morning Ireland:
James Reynolds, Chairman, Farmers for No, says the group strongly opposes the Lisbon Treaty and represents a silent majority in the IFA
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'There are always other options and help is always there ...'
Kerry teenager Donal Walsh has died after losing his battle with cancer.
He passed away at his home in Blennerville, County Kerry, surrounded by his dad Fionnbar, his mother Elma and his sister Jemma.
Donal, aged 16, had publicly appealed to young people not to end their lives. He wrote a letter which brought him to national prominence.
He had been battling cancer since he was first diagnosed four years ago, and had raised over €50,000 for charity.
Weeks before his death, Donal recorded a video message to be circulated in schools.
Fr Francis Nolan, parish priest of St. John's in Tralee, was with Donal Walsh's family in the hours after his death
Minister of State for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch paid tribute to Donal's 'generosity of spirit'