The exit poll also showed that the party was the most popular choice for male voters, but not for female voters.
The ballot boxes closed at 10pm tonight, and will be reopened today (Sunday 9 February) for the counting to begin.
At the close of the vote last night, the Ipsos MRBI poll, conducted by RTÉ, the Irish Times, TG4 and UCD, questioned over 5,000 people at 250 polling stations across the country upon casting their respective votes, revealing that it was practically a three-way tie at top between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
That same poll has broken down the voters preferences dependent on age, gender, and where in the country they live, and it reveals that Sinn Féin is the most popular party in every age group under 65.
Out of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, the breakdown of their popularity according to the exit poll is as follows:
Fianna Fáil
- 18-24: 13.6%
- 25-34: 15.2%
- 35-49: 21.8%
- 50-64: 22.7%
- 65+: 29.7%
- Male: 22.9%
- Female: 21.4%
- Dublin: 14%
- Rest of Leinster: 25.9%
- Munster: 25.6%
- Connacht/Ulster: 22%
Fine Gael
- 18-24: 15.5%
- 25-34: 17.3%
- 35-49: 21.1%
- 50-64: 22.3%
- 65+: 30.2%
- Male: 22.6%
- Female: 22.1%
- Dublin: 21.1%
- Rest of Leinster: 21.7%
- Munster: 24.5%
- Connacht/Ulster: 22%
Sinn Féin
- 18-24: 31.8%
- 25-34: 31.7%
- 35-49: 22%
- 50-64: 22.8%
- 65+: 12.25%
- Male: 23%
- Female: 21.5%
- Dublin: 22.3%
- Rest of Leinster: 24.1%
- Munster: 18.2%
- Connacht/Ulster: 26%
A full breakdown of the popularity of all of the parties according to the exit poll can be found here.
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