“So it shows that Ireland has become more liberal in those terms.”Īs a result, he said, those who favor less restrictive rules regarding abortion in Ireland may now try to press their agenda. “Ireland has long been seen as a traditional conservative country,” said Tom Louwerse, director of Trinity College Dublin’s politics and public policy program. The referendum was on adding a sentence to the Irish Constitution reading, “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.” Same-sex Irish couples have been able to enter civil partnerships since 2011, but activists said that status did not provide the same protections and rights as marriage. Others voting included Irish expatriates who had left the country less than 18 months ago, and had to return to cast ballots. “We never abandoned the youth vote,” he said. Such voters played a key role in the results, said Andrew Hyland, a spokesman for the Yes Equality campaign. In the last two weeks, more than 68,000 new voters reportedly registered, many of them young adults. With voters streaming to the polls, particularly in urban areas, the turnout Friday was than 60% in a country with 3.2 million registered voters.
David Quinn, founder of the Iona Institute, a conservative think tank, took to Twitter, writing, “Congratulations to the Yes side. Those opposed to same-sex marriage conceded hours before the final results of Friday’s balloting were formally posted. It is accepting people on the most basic level, and I am over the moon.” “It’s about supporting people and being inclusive. “We are making history but that is not what it is about,” said Maeve O’Sullivan, a 40-year-old North Dublin social worker and mother of two. “I’m so proud to be Irish today,” Ireland’s Minister for Equality Aodhan O Riordain said on Twitter. Ireland has become the first country to legalize gay marriage through a popular vote, defying the Roman Catholic Church in a landslide referendum victory to change the constitution of the traditionally conservative nation.Īs thousands celebrated Saturday afternoon on the grounds of Dublin Castle, official results were released showing a 62.1% “yes” vote for allowing same-sex couples to marry.