"Repealed, repealed, repealed" was shouted triumphantly on Saturday as Waterford became part of history with a landslide victory for the Yes side in the abortion referendum, at 69.4 per cent.
There were very few No campaigners present at the Waterford count centre in Waterford Institute of Technology as the official results were revealed.
At 2.20pm, local returning officer Niall Rooney declared that the total valid poll for Waterford stood at 53,312. There were 123 invalid votes. A total of 37,016 people voted Yes and 16,296 voted No.
Claire Cullen-Delsol, from Waterford city, who had to wait five weeks for her baby, who had fatal foetal abnormalities, to die inside her because of the State's abortion laws, said the result was an emotional and momentous occasion for the people of Ireland.
“I never dared hope that we would win, let alone have a landslide result like what we’ve had here. It just goes to show that the people of Ireland were ready for this. They just needed to be given that opportunity.”
Sinn Féin Deputy David Cullinane, who campaigned for a Yes vote, said: "That is fantastic for the people and women of Ireland.
“We have to act and to legislate as quickly as possible. We have to implement the will of the people. They have spoken very clearly.”
One of Waterford's leading No campaigners, John D Walsh, said: "The word is devastated.
“There were a lot of people who dreaded the prospect of a Yes vote. Those people feel terribly hurt and I feel very much for them. They put in a huge effort.”
