A Peta activist dressed as a stick of celery highlights climate change at a polling station during the Irish General Election (John Carmody/PA)

An activist dressed up as a giant stick of celery targeted two Irish politicians at a polling station as they prepared to cast their votes.

She brandished a sign outside Kilgarvan Central School in Co Kerry saying: “Climate change is real, it’s an emergency, and we can all fight it by going vegan.”

Danny and Michael Healy-Rae were targeted over their views around the issue of climate change.

Independent election candidate Michael Healy-Rae is running to be re elected in Co Kerry. (PA)

Michael previously said that he feels farmers are unfairly blamed for climate change, while his brother Danny stated that he does not “subscribe to the idea that man can influence climate”.

Peta has called on the politicians to “not only to take note of the environmental crisis but also to take action to combat animal agriculture’s massive contribution to the climate crisis”.

Peta director Elisa Allen urged politicians and the public to go vegan to counteract the effects of the meat industry.

“The meat industry kills animals while destroying our planet,” she said.

“As we face historic droughts, floods, and wildfires around the world, Peta is calling on politicians and the public to stop ignoring animal agriculture’s connection to catastrophic climate change and go vegan before it’s too late.”

Declan and Karen Skelly cast their votes at Conway’s pub in Kildavin, Co Carlow, after the polling station, originally located at Kildavin National School was relocated to the pub following a power outage. (Niall Carson/PA)

Meanwhile a polling station in Co Carlow was moved to a pub after a power outage.

The polling station at Kildavin National School, which had just one ballot box, was relocated to Conway’s pub after the electricity failed at the school.

Voters were ushered through the bar where customers in the small rural village were enjoying the Six Nations rugby coverage, to a function room at the back of the pub to cast their votes.

And there was excitement at a polling station in Dublin after a man’s wedding ring was rescued from a ballot box.

Senator Kevin Humphreys tweeted the tale of how the ring slipped off as the man cast his vote.

🚨Things in ballot boxes update🚨



Someone has dropped their driving licence in with their ballot in Haroldâs Cross. No such luck fishing it out this time so theyâll have to wait until tomorrow to get it back #GE2020 #DBS



Turnout 30% at 2:00pm https://t.co/9aeySvNIHt — Kevin Humphreys (@KHumphreysDBS) February 8, 2020

He described a scene of “rapturous applause” when the ring was fished out of the box using the aerial from the returning officer’s car.

PA