Senator Jim Walsh’s district in New Ross, County Wexford, voted 74% in favour of the marriage referendum.
There was amusement on Facebook and Twitter this morning after Wexford reporter Anne Marie O’Connor announced the tally.
Walsh, who is known for his conservative views, recently made national headlines when he suggested that the €21 million spent on the 2015 marriage referendum should instead be diverted and used to test homosexuals for HIV.Walsh told the Seanad that a gay man had suggested the idea to him.
The Wexford senator has drawn criticism in the past. In 2009, Walsh claimed that women working outside the home were a major source of depression amongst young people. He also expressed frustration about not being allowed to refer to gay people as “fairies.”