One candidate in the local elections made history this week by becoming Ireland’s first black female county councillor.

Nigerian-born, evangelical Christian, Yemi Adegua was elected to represent the Navan area of Meath county council.

Her success ruffled the feathers of some people though, not because of her ethnicity, but because she gave glory to God in a joyful social media post that garnered over 3600 ‘likes’.

One respondent offered his congratulations to her but added a plea ‘on behalf of the new Ireland’, that she ‘leave the religion out of it’. Another wrote, ‘Congrats but please leave the god stuff back in Nigeria’, and another: ‘First black person. Great stuff. The God stuff. Less great depending on how it affects your policies.’

A further tweet said ‘Congratulations. Really pleased to see the beginnings of diversity in our councils. But please: lay off the religious stuff we live in a republic and trying hard to separate church and state.’

And another said: ‘Extraordinary to see religion attempt to insinuate itself again into Irish politics. We spent long enough getting it out’