A mural of Savita Halappanavar with 'Together For Yes' flyers in Dublin.RollingNews.ie

Ireland waited 35 years for this day to come - but the last 24 hours have seemed the longest of all. As exit polls point to an overwhelming near-70% vote in favor to Repeal the Eighth, we get a sense of the monumental impact May 25th 2018 has already had on modern Ireland.

While the official referendum result is yet to be called - initial exit polls have the pro-choice side and its tireless campaigners veritably leaping for joy after a divisive few months. In classic Irish fashion, "Repeal pints?!" was the phrase on many people's lips as the sun shone down on a changing country.

Read More: How will Ireland's abortion laws change after the referendum? 

It was believed that a high turn out of young voters and Dublin residents would make up the majority of the 'repealers' - but  the Irish Times exit polls point to a much broader base of Yes voters. The outlet reports that "most age groups" actually voted in favor, but also acknowledged that an astounding "87% of those aged 18- 24 voting in favor of repeal, compared with 40 per cent of those aged 65 and older."

Read More: Exit polls in Ireland's abortion referendum predict landslide win 

As journalist Miriam Lord wrote in her emotive Irish Times color piece, "On Friday, with steely assurance, a new generation of all the generations faced down the suffocating old certainties and swept them aside. On Friday, May 25th, 2018, they stood up and were not afraid to be counted. Because those days are gone now."

On Twitter, some called for women like Ailbhe Smyth, a relentless campaigner since 1983, to be sent on vacation now that her life's dedication to the introduction of free, safe, legal abortion is on the cusp of coming to fruition. It's a reminder to everyone that this historic vote has been a long, long time coming.

Lord even mentioned meeting President Michael D. Higgins at the polling station, emotionally recalling the powerful speeches he made opposing the "callous" referendum on the Eighth Amendment in 1983 when he was president of the Labour Party. 

Stand in awe of all Mná na hÉireann, in the words of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - they've just made history.