Ireland votes for same sex marriage

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, May 24th, 2015 - 7 comments
Categories: Europe, human rights, identity, International, uk politics - Tags:

This is a result that would have been inconceivable a few decades ago.  Staunchly catholic Ireland has voted to legalise same sex marriages.

From the Guardian:

Ireland has voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming the first country in the world to do so by popular vote in a move hailed as a social revolution and welcomed around the world.

Some 62% of the Irish Republic’s electorate voted in favour of gay marriage. The result means that a republic once dominated by the Catholic church ignored the instructions of its cardinals and bishops. The huge Yes vote marks another milestone in Ireland’s journey towards a more liberal, secular society.

Out of an electorate of more than 3 million, 1,201,607 backed gay marriage, while 734,300 voters said No. The result prompted a massive street party around the gay district of central Dublin close to the national count centre.

Comhghairdeas Éire. Do dhaoine tar éis labhairt.

(Congratulations Ireland. Your people have spoken) – H/t Louisa Wall

7 comments on “Ireland votes for same sex marriage ”

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  1. mac1 1
    24 May 2015 at 10:40 am

    I am just so pleased. For Ireland, for humanity, for myself as a descendant of Ireland, proud to be a Mac1 today. Beannacht! (Blessings, respect, compliments.)

  2. Philip Ferguson 2
    24 May 2015 at 11:57 am

    These days it’s not so “staunchly Catholic Ireland”; a lot has changed.

    There was never any doubt in my mind that the ‘yes’ vote would win. I expect it be 66% to 33%. It happened to be about 62% to 38%; still a marvellous victory.

    Of the 43 electoral constituencies, the ‘yes’ won in 42. In one constituency – Roscommon/South Leitrim (an area with no cities or big towns) – the ‘No’ vote won, but only narrowly.

    In Dublin, the vote ‘yes’ looks like it was at least 70%. Some of the polling booths in big, hardcore working class areas like Ballymun registered 80% and upwards.

    This was certainly a big victory for gay rights and human rights more broadly. In Ireland and globally, because the turnaround in Ireland – homosexuality was only legalised there two decades ago – is massive.

    It isn’t, however, a victory for the left. While the Irish left campaigned vigorously for a ‘yes’ vote, so did most of the right. Big business wanted a ‘yes’ vote. The parties which have imposed utterly vicious austerity on the working class- both employed and unemployed – campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote.

    Part of the shift in the south is that the old Catholic reactionary establishment is gone and has been replaced by a new liberal one – progressive on social issues but, if anything, more viciously anti-working class than the old Catholic-aligned establishment.

    I intend writing about this.

    In the meantime, here’s the article I wrote back on April 7 and have updated several times since: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/irish-society-and-politics-and-the-referendum-on-gay-marriage/

    Brief note on the result: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/05/24/big-gay-rights-victory-in-ireland/

    Btw, there was a second referendum the same day. It was about lowering the age at which people can stand for the presidency. At present you can stand for president in the south at age 35; the vote was over whether to lower it to 21. That was resoundingly lost. There was a clear chunk of people who support equal marriage rights who voted against lowering the age for presidential candidates to 21.

    There was also a by-election in the Carlow-Kilkenny seat, the result isn’t in. It will go to Fianna Fail or Fine Gael. But the most interesting thing is that Sinn Fein has got more than double the Labour vote.

  3. johnm 3
    24 May 2015 at 6:15 pm

    Ireland has been and is continuing to be looted by a criminal government in cahoots with their banks and the IMF and European Central Bank. Inequality and deprivation has skyrocketed.
    So, it seems weird to me this celebration as if people power really has done anything, to me it seems just a pathetic distraction like our flag referendum to hoodwink the people that their opinion really matters! It manifestly doesn’t in Ireland or in New Zealand.
    Aside I do support same self marriage.

    • Colonial Rawshark 3.1
      24 May 2015 at 7:32 pm

      Yep. The banksters remain in charge of the country and the levers of power; that is all that the elite truly care about.

  4. Tracey 4
    24 May 2015 at 6:24 pm

    All that paedophilia by the clergy, the denials and the arse-covering (no pun intended/) eroded the influence of the Catholic church on how people should live their lives.

  5. rhinocrates 5
    24 May 2015 at 7:15 pm

    But… but… but… they did it before they’d solved every single other more urgent issue?!

  6. Magin 6
    26 May 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Good job Ireland.
    Just goes to show that even religion is human.