ONLY A MINORITY of Irish voters would back the country leaving the European Union, according to a new poll.

Only 10% of respondents to a poll carried out on behalf of Claire Byrne Live and TheJournal.ie on Monday said they would back such a move.

Last weekend, Nigel Farage was the main speaker at a conference examining the possibilities presented by an ‘Irexit’, held at Dublin’s RDS.

Here’s how the poll broke down:

Would you support Ireland leaving the EU?

Yes: 10%

No: 79%

Don’t know: 11%

The poll was carried out by Amarách Research on Monday of this week. The panel consisted of more than 1,000 Irish adults aged over 18.

Speaking ahead of the conference last weekend, Farage, the former UKIP leader, contended that Ireland had “paid a very big price” for its membership of the EU.

Farage linked Ireland’s membership of the Euro to the credit-fuelled housing bubble and said that Ireland’s economic development was not thanks to EU membership.

He also claimed that the leaders of the European Union want to abolish individual nation states.

While Farage and other speakers were met with a warm reception by the attendees at last weekend’s RDS event, Irexit campaigners may have an uphill battle on their hands.

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A survey carried out by the European Commission last year found that, out of all EU nations, the Irish were the most positive about membership of the union.

Irish people were the most optimistic of all (77%) and most likely of all to have a positive image of the EU, at 58%.

Ireland was followed by Luxembourg at 73%, Malta at 71% and Denmark at 70%. Pessimism is the majority view in Greece (69%), Cyprus (52%), the Czech Republic (51%) and the United Kingdom (49% vs 39% in total ‘optimistic’).

Irish respondents (83%) were also in joint second place with Slovenia for support for the Euro.

The Irexit conference was organised by the Eurosceptic European Parliament grouping the EFD, which does not have any Irish MEPs.