Irish support for the European Union’s Lisbon treaty is holding firm, according to an opinion poll on Sunday, allaying official fears the unpopularity of Brian Cowen’s Fianna Fáil-led government could derail efforts to win next month’s rerun referendum.

According to a Red C opinion poll in the Sunday Business Post, of those “likely to vote” more than six out of 10 back the treaty, which seeks to increase the EU’s global clout and improve the workings of the enlarged union. The poll put the Yes vote at 62 per cent, with 23 per cent voting No and 15 per cent undecided.