Counting underway in Presidential election and blasphemy referendum

Counting has gotten underway in Letterkenny this morning in the Presidential election and blasphemy referendum.
The exit polls suggest Michael D Higgins will comfortably win the election, and that blasphemy will be repealed from the constitution.
It looks like a landslide victory for Michael D Higgins with two exit polls putting the current President on course to be re-elected with between 56 and 58 per cent of the vote.
Businessman Peter Casey looks as though he’ll place second – securing 21 per cent support in a surprise turnaround in the last week of polling.
Sinn Fein will have to pore over why their campaign failed. Liadh Ni Riada has polled worse than Martin McGuinness in 2011 to secure between 7 and 8 per cent.
Sean Gallagher will finish on between 5.5 and 7 per cent according to the exit polls – far short of the half a million votes he got in 2011
Pieta House founder Joan Freeman will finish with around 6 per cent while businessman Gavin Duffy conceded overnight and is likely to get just 2 per cent support
The blasphemy referendum will pass comfortable with 7 in 10 voting in favour of removing its reference from the constitution.