Leader of Irish opposition party gives birth on election day

Holly Cairns, leader of Ireland's opposition Social Democrats party, poses with her newborn daughter

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Ireland's opposition Social Democrats party gave birth to a baby girl on Friday, voting day in the country's general election, the party said.

Holly Cairns, 35, who is standing for re-election in the Cork South-West constituency, posted a picture of herself with her baby on Instagram saying "She's here."

The party is the fourth most popular with the support of 6% of voters, according to a poll published on Monday by the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A.

Cairns remained leader during her pregnancy, but deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan represented her at a number of pre-election events, including a national televised debate.

"Women have babies ... and we have to support them if we want more women to run," party colleague Jennifer Whitmore told journalists on Wednesday.

(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Daren Butler)