Irish reaction: A political row erupted last night between the two sides in the Irish debate on the EU constitution as results from France indicated a clear No majority.
Minister of State for European Affairs Noel Treacy said the Government accepted the French result, but the Irish referendum would go ahead "in due course".
Longtime Eurosceptic campaigner Anthony Coughlan said: "The Irish Government has a democratic duty to respect the wish and will of the people of France, and they should abandon any talk of holding a referendum unless the people of France change their minds.
"And they should not pretend they have any legal obligation to go ahead with the ratification process, it is a purely political decision."
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the result was "very disappointing" and the implications should be considered "as a matter of urgency" by heads of state and government in the European Council.
The French No must be respected, said Green Party chair and foreign affairs spokesman John Gormley TD.
It made "little sense" to proceed with the proposed Irish referendum and the ratification process as the constitution required approval by all EU states.
Mr Treacy told The Irish Times: "The French people have spoken.
"We accept the verdict that has been concluded.
"However, it is a matter for each member state to ratify the constitution in its own way and in its own time up to the deadline of November 1st, 2006."