65% in South would vote for Irish unity

SUPPORT for a united Ireland in the South has grown by 8% since 2010, a new opinion poll has revealed.

The Red C opinion poll conducted for bookmaker Paddy Power showed two-thirds of citizens say they would vote in favour of a united Ireland in a unity referendum.

The poll comes in the wake of the Brexit result which saw Britain voting to leave the European Union. The North and Scotland both voted to remain within the EU.

The result saw Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suggest a new referendum on Scottish independence, while the North's Deputy First Minister called for a referendum on Irish reunification.

The poll showed that 65% in the South say they would vote in favour of a united Ireland, 30% would oppose reunification while 5% are unsure.

In November a similar survey by RTÉ Prime Time showed support for a united Ireland in the North was 41% once don't knows were excluded.

In the South, support for reunification was strongest amongst working class communities at 69%, while it was weakest in better-off sections of society at 59%.

The survey also found that Fine Gael supporters were the least likely to support reunification, while Sinn Féin supporters were most in favour.