Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, for putting this Bill before the House following the extraordinary decision made by the Irish people back in May. When I was given my speaking slot a little earlier, I thought about what I would say. What a day it was when 61% of the electorate voted and 62% of them supported the proposal to change our Constitution. I remember standing in Dublin Castle with many of my colleagues, including the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Taoiseach. As we watched the results coming in, we saw the reaction of the crowds inside and outside the castle. Dame Street was blockaded, more or less, by a very large crowd of extraordinarily happy and proud citizens of our State, many of whom had put so much into an extraordinary campaign which touched the lives of many people who would not normally involve themselves in the electoral process. I spoke to an 81-year-old great-grandmother who described herself as very conservative, but was out canvassing because her grandson is gay. She said she wanted him to have the same rights under the Constitution as she does and she wanted the fundamental principle of equality to be extended to every child and great-grandchild in Ireland. Her gesture was a shining example.

Dozens of people across all parties and none came out on a very regular basis with the Marriage Equality teams, which I tied in with during the campaign. A terrific local lady in Malahide texted me pretty much every morning to say where her team would be at various times and to make it clear that she expected me to be there. Indeed, I was there most of the time. Ireland is a shining example in regard to the rights and privileges that are extended to citizens. These rights now include the right of all citizens to have their love recognised by the State in a partnership. I am proud to have played a role in the extension of the right to marriage to all citizens. It speaks volumes that we as a people made a statement on 22 May last that we were, to a certain extent, demonstrating our love and acceptance of one another as part of the ongoing movement towards full equality for all citizens across the whole spectrum of life in their interactions with the State. I suppose it shows a decency among people and perhaps a recognition that there is a move away from the more traditional view of marriage and the more conservative view of life in Ireland. People come in all shapes and sizes. They may or may not have religious beliefs. Some people are gay and some people are straight. Some people are working, others are unemployed and others are college students. We come in all shapes and sizes. It is only appropriate that the State recognises all people in that way.

I was heartened, as I am sure a great many people were, by the number of people who came home to vote. I heard the stories and saw on Facebook and Twitter that people were getting on planes in Australia, Canada and the United States. I know a lady who came all the way from southern Chile to Dublin. I understand she arrived into Dublin Airport at approximately 8 p.m. on the night of the vote and just made it. When my colleague, Deputy Buttimer, spoke on this Bill earlier, he referred to someone who sprinted to the polling station. When I went to check my local polling station just before 10 p.m., I met a man who was despondent for a few seconds until I told him to get to the door quickly. Of course he was allowed to vote by the presiding officer of the polling station, who interpreted the rules appropriately, in my view. The presiding officer decided that even though it was after 10 p.m., the citizen in question was inside the curtilage of the polling station and therefore was allowed to vote. I suppose it was a progressive way of recognising that a person had gone to great lengths to get to the polling station. People were coming in from all over the world. Marriage Equality demonstrations or marches were held by Irish citizens in pretty much every large city across the world. That in itself was an extraordinary message to send home from those who could not make it here to vote. In certain cases, people actually voted on behalf of those who might have voted the other way. That was another phenomenon of the campaign.

I would also like to recognise the enormous work that was done by the Minister for Justice and Equality and her predecessor to ensure this matter got a hearing. The word "journey" was used by many people across this State, including me, to describe how we came to choose not only to vote "Yes" but also to campaign throughout the entire process. I campaigned not just on my own behalf but on behalf of many of my constituents. Indeed, my constituency ranked second in the country in terms of its support for a "Yes" vote. I think we had a "Yes" vote of 70% and Dún Laoghaire had a "Yes" vote of 76% or something like that. There was also an extraordinarily high turnout in my constituency. That is why I am on my feet today. Am I out of time?

See this speech in context