Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is nice to see Deputy Buttimer. The Seanad still stands, and stands in recognition of an important debate taking place today. I welcome the Minister who should be extraordinarily proud of herself. I have personal and professional admiration for her but today is an extraordinary day. It is a day that I, as a citizen, feel extraordinarily proud of. I am in the shadow, and follow in the footsteps, of Senator David Norris. When I first met him I had skipped into one of his lectures in Trinity in which he gave a great performance by reading about the Oedipus Complex and reading all the different parts. His lecture had a great impact on my understanding of humanity and demonstrated how literature allows us to have a great understanding of humanity. This referendum was a vote for accepting, respecting and tolerating difference. It was all of that. I acknowledge Senator Zappone and Dr. Ann Louise Gilligan, who is in the Visitors Gallery, for their friendship and for showing leadership at times when it was neither profitable nor popular. Senator Bacik is also a person that I admire.

I have very little to say except that, as director of the Abbey Theatre, we had a modest part to play not so much in swaying the vote but in sustaining confidence. One must remember that halfway through the campaign, there was a wobble which I remember very well. It was a wobble of anxiety and I know people were tired. I remember that the blog written by Panti Bliss encouraged people to go out and literally taught us how to engage with people by outlining the A, B and C of canvassing. The wobble occurred at T minus three weeks. I had nothing to do with the campaign for no reason other than I felt there was an extraordinary swarm of young energetic and engaged citizens involved. The artistic community did its part at a point when it was about motivating and mobilising people. We gave people a slap on the back to encourage them to continue to run the last lap and we all felt the anxiety diminished very quickly. It was a time when I learned and understood words like "citizenship". There was active engagement by the "Yes Equality" campaign. There was compassion, love and respect.Ultimately, the authenticity of that and the sense of community and communal support won out and helped to break the barriers and removed any sense of differentiation between the "Yes" and "No" campaigns. I disagree with Senator Healy Eames's sense of disenfranchisement. If anything, we all became locked in to society, not locked out. We were all invited back in to engage, re-engage and reconnect with the various interpretations we might have regarding equality. If nothing else, there was an extraordinary sense of overwhelming positivity connected to the 62% who voted "Yes" on 23 May 2015. I acknowledge that I do not expect any of us to achieve more than that at any point. We have joined the 21 other countries in which same-sex marriage has been made possible. To see that in The New York Timesand to witness that sense of national pride - the LGBT community gave us that national pride as a result of its activism and search for justice and equality - means that we have much for which to be thankful. I felt a tremendous sense of pride. I walked into the RDS count hugging many people I did not even know. It was a very emotional and extraordinary day and something that my daughters will not forget.

My daughters who are in their late teens and early 20s understood fraternal feeling, comradery and collegiality and were quite confused that their elders even had to debate this matter. They were quite confused and irritated that there had to be a vote on it. However, they then understood the campaign and voting. The Rock the Vote and the Home to Vote campaigns were articulated wonderfully in Annie West's cartoon showing thousands of people flooding into Ireland. All boats, planes and trains were booked up by people seeking to come home. We are all political junkies and we monitored the turnout and saw how matters developed. Let us remember that. Let us remember the energy and excitement of that. It was an extraordinary day on which to be an Irish citizen.

I acknowledge the unwavering support and co-operation of Members of the Oireachtas of all parties and none and that of the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. I acknowledge everybody in the Visitors Gallery. I know some of them while I do not know others. That is not the point. The point is that they are the ones who made it possible. We were trotting behind them for once. The Oireachtas was trotting way behind them. They led, cajoled and encouraged us. Their graciousness in victory is something we must also acknowledge. It is something I admire and respect.

I will be supporting this Bill and I congratulate the Government on steering the debate on this matter in such an eloquent fashion.