Irish Coast Guard deployed to help people on island off Mayo vote

Ellen O'Donoghue

The Coast Guard was deployed to help the people of an island near the coast of Mayo to vote on Friday.

Mayo County Council requested help from the Coast Guard coordination centre at Malin Head to get a ballot box to Inishbiggle Island, which sits near Achill Island, ahead of the presidential election.

Coast Guard members brought a Garda and the box to the island by boat yesterday at 8.15am and collected them later in the day, just after 6pm.

The Coast Guard said that this enabled the safe carriage of the votes and ensured the integrity of the electoral process was maintained.