#VoteWithUs Videos that mention history as a theme are shown here.
Brighid and Paddy are devout Catholics, living in Louth, and are fifty years married this year. They want other couples, gay or straight, to be able to legally avail of civil marriage and experience the protections and companionship that they have experienced. They wish that all of their grandchildren be protected and treated as equals in the eyes of the …
William Halpin is a musician, and was formerly Head of the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He’s voting yes for two simple reasons, and looks forward to Ireland moving toward a new era of tolerance and equality. “Firstly, I believe everybody should have the same rights, and marriage equality allows for this regardless of a person’s sexuality. Secondly, I …
Katherine Zappone, from the US, and Ann Louise Gilligan, from Ireland, have been a couple since the early 1980s. They married in Canada over a decade ago, but their marriage is not recognised in the Republic. They feel that more than thirty years together is long enough to wait for their marriage to be recognised. The referendum is a ‘legacy …
Catherine Murphy is an Independent TD for Kildare North. She recalls the devastation that the first divorce referendum had on people in the 80s – how at the time they felt rejected by their own society. She asks you to come out and vote yes in May to ensure that history does not repeat itself. “I remember being in the …
Joan Collins is from Dublin and is an Independent TD for Dublin South Central. She knows that most people know someone who is gay, and believes that all of us should take action to allow our friends, family members, and neighbours have the opportunity to marry their partners. “Many of us family members, relations, friends who are in loving relationships. …
Anne Marie McNally (35) lives in Lucan, Co Dublin. She understands that some people have reservations about voting to equalise marriage – but her message is a reminder that marriage has evolved against injustice many times in the past. “You may be thinking that this is a pretty big change for the institution of marriage – but don’t forget civil marriage …
Clare Daly is an Independent TD for Dublin North. Clare thinks that this referendum is a positive opportunity for parents and for Ireland. “It’s a little bit mad that we have one group in society who can marry and another who can’t just because of their sexual orientation. Surely all it should be about is if you love somebody. Strange and …
Claire Byrne, from Sutton in North Dublin, talks here about the kind of Ireland she wants to live in: an Ireland of equals that respects each others rights. Claire is a Green Party councillor on Dublin City Council. “This is about the right of any two people to share a commitment and honour that love, through marriage, if they wish to.”
Ciaran Cuffe (51), from Dublin, talks about how on a European scale, Ireland might have some catching up to do, but that we’re on the cusp of taking a great step forward. Ciarán is a Green Party Councillor on Dublin City Council. “In many areas: in social equality, environmental equity, and marriage, we’re way behind the rest of Europe. But …