THIS weekend the electorate will have their say on just who will form the next government of Ireland and there is little doubt that the outcome will change the political landscape of modern Ireland.

The last time an election was held on a Saturday, it was in 1918 and that election marked a significant rise from Sinn Féin as the history books reflect. Back in 1918, a greatly enlarged electorate voted, many thousands for the first time - including many young people and many women were granted voting rights for the first time - and historians often hail the 1918 election as something of a watershed election.