Same-sex marriage is legal in Ireland, following approval of a referendum on 22 May 2015 to provide in the country's constitution that marriage is recognized irrespective of the sex of the partners.

Civil partnerships, granted under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, give same-sex couples rights and responsibilities similar, but not equal, to those of civil marriage.

National debate :

             In 1993, after the decriminalisation of "buggery", gay rights was not a high-profile issue in Ireland. But from 2001 Irish media increasingly covered international developments in the same-sex partnerships issue.

This has reopen a coverage of reports  on the issue, legal cases taken by Irish same-sex couples, surrogate parenthood, adoption, extra-legal same-sex unions, blessings and the foreign partnerships of Irish politicians.

From 2003, Irish Legislators began to comment publicly. Some suggesting legislation, and some referring to Catholic teachings. Among the general public, reaction was favourable.

Some public and religious figures, including bishops in the Catholic Church, and in the Church of Ireland also proposed legal recognition in 2004, but in a form different from marriage.

Only the manifestos of the Green Party and the Labour Party explicitly referred to the rights of gay couples at the 2002 general election. But from 2004 all political parties, made statements in favour of varying forms of recognition.

According to the newspaper Irish Independent, we have the account of a seventeen year-old girl, who has grown up with her mother and her girlfriend, in Collon, a little town closed to Dundalk, and who is calling for a Yes vote.

« I just referred to my mam, her girlfriend, my brother, my two sisters and I as a family, because that's what we are, we live in one house, we eat together, we go places together, we go places apart, we argue, we are one.

One thing that infuriates me is when people say that gay people shouldn't have children. My mams are gay and the four of us turned out alright. Nelson Mandela said 'No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

I'm proud of my family and my background. »

Government officials are currently drafting the Marriage Bill to reflect the vote and constitutional change.

The Marriage Equality referendum was held on 22 May 2015. The referendum proposed to add the following text to Article 41 of the Constitution :

« Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex »

The referendum was approved, with the yesvote taking just over 62% of the total votes cast, marking the first time a country has legalised same sex marriage in a nationwide popular vote.

The referendum on gay marriage saw Ireland make history as the only country in the world where the reform was backed by popular vote.

 Here are some pictures I took in Dundalk and Dublin before the vote:

 Source:

Referendum.ie

Wikipedia

http://www.independent.ie

http://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/