Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland

The Irish text of the amendment as introduced was:[12]

4. Féadfaidh beirt, cibé acu is fir nó mná iad, conradh a dhéanamh i leith pósadh de réir dlí.

Journalist Bruce Arnold argued against the bill in two articles in The Irish Times, one of which focused on alleged issues with the Irish text.[10][13] Arnold argued that the Irish text describes only same-sex couples, thus rendering opposite-sex marriage illegal.[10] Government sources pointed out the words impugned by Arnold ("beirt" and "cibé acu is fir nó mná") are already used with similar intent elsewhere in the constitution.[14] Counterpoints from legal academics were that Arnold's strict constructionist interpretation would be trumped by the doctrine of absurdity, and that failure to mention opposite-sex marriage would not make it illegal.[14] Some argued that the Irish text should nevertheless be changed to remove all doubts.[14] Enda Kenny announced on 10 March 2015 that such a change would be made.[15] Frances Fitzgerald moved the amendment in the Dáil the following day.[16]

The Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Marriage Equality) Bill 2015 was debated in the Dáil on 10 and 11 March 2015. Several deputies from different parties spoke in favour. The only speaker to oppose it was independent TD Mattie McGrath; it was passed without a division (i.e., by voice vote). It was then debated in the Seanad on 25 and 27 March. Votes were held on a number of proposed amendments, all of which were defeated, and the Bill was finally passed by 29 votes to three. Among those speaking in favour was Katherine Zappone, who was a Senator at the time. Those who voted against were Senators Rónán Mullen, Jim Walsh and Feargal Quinn; the opposition amendments were also supported by Senator Fidelma Healy Eames.[33]

All four main parties in the Dáil supported the bill: the governing Fine Gael and Labour, and the opposition Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. Members of the Green Party, Anti-Austerity Alliance, People Before Profit Alliance, Workers' Party of Ireland and independents are also on record in support of the amendment.[34] "Yes Equality" was an umbrella campaign by Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Marriage Equality.[35]

Religious bodies in Ireland officially adopted stances that were either neutral or opposed to the referendum. The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference is opposed to same-sex marriage, and has distributed a booklet to all parishes.[36][37] In February 2015, the Methodist Church in Ireland issued a statement supporting the traditional view of marriage as being between a man and woman.[38] In April 2015, a cross-denominational group issued a leaflet urging a No vote. Two bishops (one Roman Catholic and one Church of Ireland), and ministers and lay members of the Methodist, Presbyterian various Pentecostal churches signed and distributed the leaflet.[39] On 22 April 2015, the leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland issued a statement advocating a no vote, saying "the change proposed in the same-sex marriage referendum denies the rights of children and the natural responsibilities of a father and a mother in nurturing them".[40] The Iona Institute, a mainly-Catholic religious think tank, also opposed the amendment.[41]

However, in February 2015, the Church of Ireland announced that it was not taking a stance on the referendum, but was urging its members to vote according to their conscience.[42][43] Two Church of Ireland bishops called for a Yes vote. As early as May 2014, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton had signalled his support for a yes vote.[44] Similarly, the Islamic Centre in Ireland issued a statement on 17 April stating that "As Muslims we must believe in equality and inclusiveness. People should not be discriminated for any reason. It is important to humanise people and not to de humanise. The Islamic tradition teaches to hate the sin but not the sinner. The attitude of some Muslims towards homosexuals is incompatible with the spirit of mercy and kindness in Islam. The Irish constitution guarantees all Irish citizens the freedom of conscience and Muslims must exercise this right when voting on 22nd May 2015."[45]

A petition initiated by a number of religious groups including the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, the Irish Council of Imams, and the Galway branch of the Reformed Presbyterian Church on 15 April called for a "conscience clause", which would allow individuals and businesses to discriminate against same-sex couples in the provision of goods and services. In response, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "The Government has made its decision very clear here in respect to the question that the people will be asked on the 22nd of May. That question of course is to give their approval, if they see fit and I hope they do, to allow for marriage in civil law irrespective of sexual orientation." Brendan Howlin said "The one issue at the core of this referendum is equality under the Constitution and anything else is extraneous."[46]

However, some religious-affiliated groups were in favour of the referendum. In January 2015, the Church of Ireland LGBT group Changing Attitude Ireland welcomed the publication of the wording of the Marriage Equality Referendum. Dr Richard O’Leary, the organisation's chair, said that marriage should be "available to couples without distinction as to their sex", just as civil marriage "may be contracted by two persons without distinction as to their race or religion".[42] On 7 May, at a Changing Attitude Ireland event, former Archdeacon of Dublin, Gordon Linney said "We are being given an opportunity on May 22 finally to show the gay community that we value them for who they are. We welcome them as they are fully into society and so give them the recognition they are entitled to and that those who are in stable relationships and wish to marry should be allowed to do so. Marriage is a civil contract. No church will be forced to solemnise any union it does not approve of."[47]

Many business groups advocated for the passing of the referendum. On 16 April, Business for Yes Equality launched, with high-profile companies such as Twitter, eBay, PayPal and 150 Irish-based international and local companies joining.[48][49] Stephen McIntyre, MD of Twitter in Ireland, said "As I see it, this case has three key elements. First, people perform better in the long run when they can be themselves. Second, talent is attracted to organisations which demonstrate an appreciation for diversity, inclusiveness and equality. Finally, Ireland’s international reputation as a good place to do business will be enhanced by a Yes vote."[50] Martin Shanahan, the head of IDA Ireland, the Industrial Development Authority, called for a Yes vote on 1 May, saying "A Yes vote on May 22 would tell the business world that Ireland is open, inclusive and welcomes diversity and that would be a very positive message to be sending internationally."[51] He also said he believed that a No vote would send a negative signal to international businesses.[52]

Also on 1 May, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions announced its support for the Yes campaign with the launch of its "Trade unions for civil marriage equality" campaign.[53] Other trade unions and staff representative associations supporting a Yes vote included the Garda Representative Association, Mandate, and Ireland's largest trade union SIPTU.[54][55][56]

On 7 May, eBay CEO John Donahoe announced that the company was backing a Yes vote. Donahoe said that its position on equality issues such as same-sex marriage, in addition to being "the right thing to do", also helps the company attract, retain and develop the right people.[57]

Other prominent groups to support the referendum included a coalition of Ireland's main children's charities called "BeLonG To Yes". Constituent organisations include the ISPCC, Barnardo's, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland, the Migrant Rights Centre, Headstrong, Yes Equality, the Children's Rights Alliance, Pavee Point, EPIC and the National Youth Council of Ireland. Speaking at the launch, Fergus Finlay said they had come together to call for a Yes vote in part because groups within the No campaign were "using children as pawns" and that every time he saw a poster calling for a No vote because "every child deserves a mother and father", he saw "a sickening insult to the thousands of lone parents and children who love and care for each other in Ireland. The message is exploitative, hurtful and dishonest. What every child deserves is love, respect, safety. That can come from two parents of either sex, two parents of the same-sex, or a single parent."[58][59] The Union of Students in Ireland, then led by Laura Harmon, launched its "Students for Marriage Equality" campaign in January together with its dedicated website, voteforlove.ie.[60]

Amnesty International launched their "Let's Make History"[61] campaign for marriage equality on 22 March 2015 to thousands of people outside the historic General Post Office, Dublin.[62] Speakers included Colm O'Gorman, Pat Carey, Sabina Brennan, Gavin Brennan and Grace Dyas.

On 5 May, the "Yes for Health" campaign was launched by Liam Doran, general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and Kieran Ryan, CEO of the Irish College of General Practitioners. Speaking at the launch, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said that a No vote would be a "big step backwards" for the country, and that it would have an adverse effect on the mental health of members of the LGBT community.[63] The following day, the National Women's Council of Ireland and launched their 'Yes' campaign. The launch was attended by representatives of various groups, including the Irish Feminist Network, Digi Women and the Association of Childcare Professionals.[64] On 7 May, the Law Society of Ireland announced its support for a Yes vote. Ken Murphy, the society's Director General, said that the society was taking a public stance because marriage equality was an issue of fundamental human rights. The decision followed a report from the society's human rights committee, which found that there were 160 ways in which civil partnership, compared to civil marriage, was the lesser of the two unions.[65]

Some groups were also formed in opposition to the referendum. On 18 April, Mothers and Fathers Matter, formed in 2014 to oppose the Children and Family Relationships Bill, launched its No campaign.[66][67] First Families First, a group of three people headed by children's and disabilities campaigner Kathy Sinnott, and fathers rights campaigner John Waters launched its campaign for a No vote on 1 May.[68] On 7 May, a group called StandUp4Marriage launched. Its founder, Senator Jim Walsh said the launch was sparsely attended because people who want to vote no are afraid to speak out.[47] Mandate for Marriage was established in March 2015. It advocated a no vote.[69]

The following organisations registered as "approved bodies" to monitor postal voting and vote counting: Comhar Críostaí, Marriage Equality, Yes Equality Cork, Green Party, Mothers & Fathers Matter, Fianna Fáil, Labour Party, BeLonG to Youth Services, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, GLEN Campaign for Marriage, National LGBT Federation, Sinn Féin, and Fine Gael.[70][71][72]

Broadcasters are legally required to cover referendum campaigns in a balanced manner. Several complaints were made to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) that programmes and presenters had unfairly favoured the Yes side. The BAI rejected these in its October 2015 report.[73][74]

A 2014 poll showed that support was strongest among younger voters, and that Sinn Féin and Labour voters were somewhat more in favour than Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.[92][85][90]

The national results were as follows:[98]

Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Marriage Equality) Bill 2015[1]

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	1,201,607	62.07
No	734,300	37.93
Valid votes	1,935,907	99.29
Invalid or blank votes	13,818	0.71
Total votes	1,949,725	100.00
Registered voters and turnout	3,221,681	60.52

Dublin Castle, where the result of referendum was officially announced, was opened to the public for the duration of the count, with numbers limited to 2,000 at any one time. A carnival atmosphere prevailed all day after early count tallies indicated that the result would be a Yes. Celebrations and street parties took place at many venues in cities around Ireland, with Dublin celebrations centred between gay venues Pantibar and The George, and Dublin Castle.[101]

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said "With today's Yes vote we have disclosed who we are – a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people. The referendum was about inclusiveness and equality, about love and commitment being enshrined in the constitution. The people have spoken. They have said yes. Ireland – thank you."[102]

Tánaiste Joan Burton described Ireland as a "rainbow nation" and said "In Ireland, we are known as a nation of storytellers and today, the people have told quite some story. Together, the people of Ireland have struck a massive blow against discrimination as we extend the right of marriage to all our citizens." Leo Varadkar, Minister for Health and Ireland's first openly gay cabinet minister, said "It is a historic day for Ireland. We are the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and to do it through popular mandate. That makes us a beacon of equality and liberty to the rest of the world, so it's a very proud day for the Irish people."[102]

Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil leader and Leader of the Opposition, who supported the amendment, said "there is something in the DNA of Irish people that reacts to inequality", adding "It is something that Irish people do not accept historically and I believe this ballot is a vote in favour of a more inclusive, equal and just society."[103] However, Senator Averil Power resigned from Fianna Fáil after the referendum, alleging that many of its TDs and Senators had refused to canvass or leaflet for a Yes vote, and that its low profile in the Yes campaign was "cynical and cowardly".[104][105]

The leader of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams, said "We have a new era of equality and that is a good day for Ireland."[102]

Veteran gay and civil rights campaigner, Senator David Norris, who was one of the key figures in having homosexuality decriminalised, said "I think it's wonderful. It's a little bit late for me. As I said the other day, I’ve spent so much time pushing the boat out that I forgot to jump on and now it's out beyond the harbour on the high seas, but it's very nice to look at."[106]

Katherine Zappone, the first openly lesbian member of the Oireachtas, proposed remarrying her wife on air.[107]

Diarmuid Martin, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin told RTÉ that the church needed a "reality check." He said "I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution." He added "I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years. I'm saying there's a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the Church".[108]

The Church of Ireland issued a statement indicating that it "defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and the result of this referendum does not alter this." The Archbishops and bishops also called for "a spirit of public generosity, both from those for whom the result of the referendum represents triumph, and from those for whom it signifies disaster".[109][110]

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland said it was "deeply disappointed and saddened that the Constitution will no longer reflect the historic – and Christian – view of marriage that it is exclusively between one man and one woman."[111]

•  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in Ireland to receive the Tipperary International Peace Award, described the referendum result as "truly historic" and said that "The result sends an important message to the world: All people are entitled to enjoy their human rights no matter who they are or whom they love."[112]
•  Australia – Australian supporters of marriage equality expressed the hope that "the result in Ireland would have a positive impact on the marriage equality debate in Australia", with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asking "If the Irish people can vote in favour of marriage equality, the question has to be asked, what is Tony Abbott's problem with it?", but both Shorten and Prime Minister Tony Abbott agreed that the issue should be dealt with by the Federal Parliament rather than by a referendum.[113] Despite this initial position, the country ended up holding its own public vote in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, with Tiernan Brady playing a key role in the "Yes" campaign.[114]
•  Canada – Political leaders in Canada, which first recognized same-sex marriages in 2005, welcomed the result and congratulated the Irish people; including Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne, the first openly gay leader of a province in Canada, and federal Leader of the Official Opposition Tom Mulcair.[115]
•  Germany – German opposition parties called on Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition government to legalise same-sex marriage. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, co-leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, said "It's time, Frau Merkel", adding that the Irish vote was a "great signal: the same love deserves the same respect" and that she was confident that Germany would soon follow. Jens Spahn, a Roman Catholic and the first openly gay member of the ruling council of Merkel's CDU party, said that "what the Catholic Irish can do, we can do, too".[116]
•  Italy – Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was quoted by La Repubblica as stating that debate on civil unions in Italy could no longer be put off in the wake of Ireland's approval. Figures including Democratic Party leader Roberto Speranza and President of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini praised Ireland's approval and called for Italy to follow.[117]
•  United Kingdom – Prime Minister David Cameron stated on his website 'My heartfelt congratulations to the people of Ireland, who have voted today to introduce same-sex marriage. Just over a year ago, we introduced same-sex civil marriage and sent out a clear message – you are equal whether you are straight or gay'[118] The result was also praised by other politicians from across the political spectrum,[119] including an early day motion in the House of Commons signed by members from the Conservative Party, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Labour Party.[120] A few commentators such as Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ronan Marron argued that letting the majority vote by referendum to grant or withhold the fundamental rights of a minority is wrong in principle, and can also set a dangerous precedent for less tolerant countries.[121][122] The contrary case was put by Michael Angland, who argued that the 'national conversation' created by the referendum was a more effective way of combatting prejudice than a 'quick-fix parliamentary vote'.[123]
  • Northern Ireland – Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness called for a referendum to be held in Northern Ireland as well.[124] Politicians from several parties, such as Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the Social Democratic and Labour Party praised the result.[125] The day the result was announced the Northern Ireland branch of Amnesty International announced a march in Belfast "on June 13 calling for legislation for same-sex marriage in the North", with its programme director Patrick Corrigan describing Northern Ireland as "now the last bastion of discrimination against gay people in these islands".[125] But the most recent of four attempts at legislation received the support of only four Unionist MLAs[125] in an Assembly that, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, requires the Cross-community support of majorities of both Unionist and Nationalist MLAs for legislation to succeed if at least 30 MLAs present a "Petition of Concern" to the Speaker.
  •  Scotland – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote on Twitter "It's official. Well done Ireland, I bet there will be a few marriage proposals in the pubs of Dublin tonight. What a lovely thought. Enjoy the celebrations, Ireland".
•  United States – The result was welcomed by many senior Democrats, including Vice-President Joe Biden; Presidential candidate, former First Lady, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Irish-born US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and former Presidential candidate Martin O’Malley.[126]
•   Vatican – Secretary of State of The Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, stated that the result in Ireland was "a defeat for humanity" and he "was deeply saddened by the result". "The church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelisation. I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity". The remarks represent the most damning assessment of the referendum result by a senior church official to date.[127] Earlier the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, had quoted Theologian emeritus of the Pontifical Household Cardinal Georges Cottier as saying that the referendum result was impossible to understand "without taking into account the paedophilia scandal which has rocked the Irish Church."[128]

The provisional referendum certificate was issued on 25 May 2015 and published the following day in Iris Oifigiúil.[1] Two separate petitions challenging the certificate were lodged within the time limit and considered in the High Court on 5 June 2015.[134] The petitioners, Gerry Walshe and Maurice J. Lyons, were lay litigants.[135] Walsh argued that political parties receiving state funding should have been prohibited from campaigning; that copies of the amendment should have been available at post offices; and that the secrecy of the ballot was compromised by serial numbers on ballot papers and CCTV cameras in some polling stations.[135][136] Lyons argued that the amendment is too vaguely worded and incompatible with the constitution's Christian ethos and reference to "woman ... in the home"; and also that non-voters should have been counted as no-voters.[137][138] Nicholas Kearns, President of the High Court, dismissed both applications and awarded costs against the petitioners.[139][137][140] Walshe and Lyons appealed the decisions, and on 29 June the Court of Appeal scheduled hearings for 30 July.[141][142][143][144] On 30 July the court upheld the dismissals and the costs awards against both petitioners.[7][145] The remaining steps were as prescribed by the Referendum Act 1994: on 24 August the High Court's Master formally notified the referendum returning officer Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile that it had not accepted any petition;[146] on 28 August Ní Fhlanghaile sent the final referendum certificate to the Taoiseach and President;[147] on 29 August the President signing the amendment into law.[148][149][133][150]

Meanwhile, on 27 August, both Walshe and Lyons applied to the Supreme Court to overturn the Court of Appeal decision, although neither sought a stay on the Master or returning officer's actions, and their applications did not prevent the bill being signed into law.[148][151] On 16 September, the Supreme Court refused leave to appeal, stating neither applicant had raised any points of substance.[152][153] The Supreme Court criticised the decision to finalise the referendum certificate before it had made its decision;[154] however, the High Court on 23 September rejected a claim by Walshe that the certificate was therefore invalid.[149][155] The President's office and the Department of the Environment also stated they had acted in accordance with the law.[133][156] The Master of the High Court said the problem arose because the Referendum Act 1994 did not take account of the Court of Appeal, created in 2014 under the Thirty-third Amendment of the Constitution.[148][156] Lecturer Conor O'Mahony suggested the Master, though not obliged to wait for a Supreme Court appeal, might better have chosen to do so.[156] The Supreme Court suggested that the applicants' failure to request a stay on the Court of Appeal decision pending request for a Supreme Court Appeal was a consequence of their being lay litigants, and that a professional lawyer would not have made such an omission.[157]

In March 2015, the Department of Justice published the general scheme of the Marriage Bill 2015, setting out the changes to be made to marriage law if the proposed amendment was enacted. These include removing the current legislative bar on same-sex couples marrying,[158] allowing foreign same-sex marriages to be registered in Ireland as marriages rather than as civil partnerships,[159] and dissolving a civil partnership if the partners marry each other.[160] Authorised solemnisers of marriage from religious groups would be allowed to refuse to officiate at same-sex ceremonies.[161][162] Lawyer Benedict Ó Floinn felt the bill's drafting should have been completed before the referendum, to minimise the lacuna during which statute law is out of step with the constitution.[163] The Gender Recognition Act 2015 requires a transgender person to be unmarried to recognise a change of legal sex;[164] the Marriage Bill intends to remove this restriction.[165][166]

The government hoped to have the Marriage Bill enacted before the Oireachtas' summer adjournment, but the referendum petition hearings in the Court of Appeal delayed this.[141][142][167] The government intended to enact the Marriage Bill "as early as possible" after the Dáil's resumption on 22 September 2015.[168] The bill provides that applications for civil partnership pending when it comes into force can be converted into applications for marriage.[169][168][170] The Minister for Justice stated that marriages under this provision should take place by November.[170][171] The bill was approved at a cabinet meeting on 16 September for publication the following day.[172] It passed its final stage in the legislature on 22 October 2015[173] and (in the absence of the President, who was out of the country) was signed into law on 29 October 2015 by the Presidential Commission.[174]

The Marriage Act 2015 came into force on 16 November 2015.[175] The first same-sex marriage ceremony was the next day in Clonmel, County Tipperary.[176]

• Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, 2017
• 2016 Bermudian same-sex union and marriage referendum
• 2013 Croatian constitutional referendum
• 2015 Slovak same-sex marriage referendum
• 2015 Slovenian same-sex marriage referendum
• United States:
  • Maine:
    • 2009 Maine same-sex marriage referendum
    • 2012 Maine same-sex marriage referendum
  • 2012 Maryland same-sex marriage referendum
  • 2012 Washington same-sex marriage referendum

• "Referendum Act, 1994". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
• "Draft of General Scheme of Marriage Bill 2015" (PDF). Department of Justice. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
• "Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Marriage Equality) Act 2015". Irish Statute Book. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
• Denham, Susan; Hardiman, Adrian; O'Donnell, Donal (16 September 2015). "Walshe -v- Ireland The Attorney General The Referendum Returning Officer and The Referendum Commission". Judgments. Ireland: Courts Service. [2015] IESCDET 37. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
• Denham, Susan; Hardiman, Adrian; O'Donnell, Donal (16 September 2015). "Lyons -v- Ireland The Attorney General and Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile Referendum Returning Officer". Judgments. Ireland: Courts Service. [2015] IESCDET 38. Retrieved 6 November 2015.