Lisbon vote begins slowly in Ireland

Turnout was slow in many areas in the first hours of Ireland's key referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, with the bulk of voters expected to cast their ballot after work as polling stations stay open until 10pm local time.

Dublin city had an average turnout of 21 percent at around 2pm, about five percent higher than at the same time during last year's referendum, but voting in several rural parts of the country was considerably lower.

Prime Minister Brian Cowen, who has a lot of politi...