In our living room, we watched the news. The American people were voting in the presidential election. We smiled when we heard the man in the pub in Doonbeg, Co Clare, forecasting that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States of America!

In Co Clare, they consider him a good business man and good for the area. If he were to become president, they felt sure they would reap the benefits of future business in the area.

We thought Trump could not win. He referred to women in a flippant and vulgar fashion on several occasions. He offended people with disabilities. He insulted black and Latino citizens, threatened emigrants with deportation and talked of walls and war.

He was the type of man I would have no desire to meet – no matter what his position. His attitude to women belongs in the dark ages. I cannot comprehend how any woman could vote for a man who said what he did during the campaign. He showed traits of xenophobia, homophobia, racism and sexism – and he got away with it.

I wasn’t mad about Hillary Clinton, but I wanted her to win – because I thought she was better than Trump. I also wanted to see that glass ceiling shattered and a woman become one of the most powerful leaders in the world. It would have changed the political landscape in America and would have had a knock-on effect across other continents too.

When the counting started, Tim and I were sitting in the living room. Media personnel across the TV channels and the world were at pains to illustrate why Donald Trump could not win. They were like stuck records, going over and over the same points while waiting for the votes to pour in.

I couldn’t stay awake. I left for my bed around 12.45am. Tim remained on.

AN EARLY MORNING

At some point later, he came to bed. I asked how it was going. He said it was too close to call. At 5am on Wednesday morning, I woke and reached for the phone – and the glasses.

There’s no waiting for news anymore, it’s right there at your fingertips. Twitter was alive with foreboding tweets. Trump was on course to be the next president, but there was still a chance Hillary Clinton could make it.

I crept out of the bed and downstairs to watch the results coming in. I could not believe what I was seeing. State after state was falling to Trump. Could this really be happening? Was this what America really wanted?

Yet the people had come out in high numbers to vote. The majority had spoken. Democracy had been upheld – and more people wanted Trump as their president.

The same applies to the British people with the recent Brexit vote. Ireland is stuck in the middle with the repercussions of both these political decisions. It will be some time before we know which one will affect our country the most.

DIRTY CAMPAIGN

The campaign was dirty and personal and almost devoid of debate on the real issues. No matter what was written about Donald Trump, no matter what the revelations concerning women – and there were many – it simply didn’t concern the voter. Was Hillary Clinton hated that much? Or was it simply that she is a woman and many voters – both men and women – could not tolerate a woman as president. Or was it that the electorate did not trust her?

First lady Michelle Obama was brilliant in her endorsement of Hillary. Was that a mistake too? It seems that the common trend now is to vote against the establishment or the status quo. Did the electorate feel manipulated?

Trump got on with his message of “make America great again”. He stuck to it rigidly and it worked. He out-trumped them all. It is going to be interesting to watch this presidency unfold.

At the moment, Trump is acting presidentially and speaking softly. It is strange to watch after such a loud and aggressive stance during the campaign.

A CHANCE?

“Do we have to give him a chance?” asked Miriam O’Callaghan on Prime Time last night. I looked at Tim. What was wrong with her? Donal Trump is the president elect of America.

He has his chance – and there is nothing in the world we can do about it. Let’s hope that we are wrong about him. The person who has been portrayed during the campaign has not been pretty.

I hope he will not act on some of his prejudices. He is still a very successful businessman – and maybe he will go on to be a good president. Maybe he will stick to the slogan of “making America great again” and maybe he will succeed in improving the lives of those who voted for him.

Still, I remain uneasy and unconvinced. It proves that, in a democratic system we must take voting seriously. Every vote counts. It is fair to say that a lot of young Americans did not come out to vote. So in a way they, who had most to lose, allowed this to happen. Had they come out, the result might be different. Protesting after the event is futile and I think it disrespects democracy.

Four years is a very long time in politics. Already Donald Trump is forecasting that he will do eight years. America is well and truly trumped! This has been a vote against the establishment. It is happening again and again. People in positions of leadership must take note.

At least the people of Doonbeg are smiling!