The voting is over and the count goes on, but what did Twitter have to say about the EU referendum?
Like all current affairs these days, Twitter was awash with tweets concerning the EU referendum, with the #euref hashtag seeing prolific use. Young Fine Gael even went so far as to produce a ‘tweaflet’ – a 21-tweet summary of the treaty’s key articles in print form.
As far as allegiances go, #voteno stayed way ahead of #voteyes for most of the day and a #twitterexitpoll gave the No vote a landslide.
The @TweetSizeTreaty account, which was set up to explain the treaty in just 20 tweets, went with the more neutral #votethurs hashtag, encouraging citizens to get out there and perform their civic duty, whatever their decision.
Poking fun at politics
Typical of the Irish, many of the most popular tweets around the referendum were tongue-in-cheek humorous send-ups of the confusion a large amount of the voting population felt around the issue, the Government pressure for a Yes vote, and the looming prospect of a second referendum should the No vote prevail.
The privilege of a secret ballot was given up by some Twitter users who tweeted their ballot sheets, making their vote public and, in some cases, poking fun at the establishment.
Social analytics via Topsy
The final tally
Below you’ll find our nominations for the best referendum tweets and images shared on Twitter. As far as the result we’re all waiting for, it looks like Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin called it this morning.
Coverage of the referendum is still live online, and RTÉ have pulled out all the stops for live online coverage with a live tracker on the site and a dedicated referendum Twitter account with 12,509 followers.
‘Is this YOUR ballot paper…?’ asks @jqbilbao
Annie West’s unique take on the ballot paper (@anniewestdotcom)
Stephen Long (@Stephen_Long) says he took a picture of his polling station when he got there.
Perfect sign positioning spotted by An Phoblacht
Young Fine Gael’s ‘tweaflet’, posted by @Patrick_DCC
Fine Gael’s ‘Faces of Ireland’ showing familiar faces and their reasons for a Yes vote