It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that on Saturday May 23 Ireland was the happiest place on earth. If the joy had an epicentre, it was Dublin Castle.
From midday, crowds gathered to hear the results as they came in. The mood across the country the night before had been one of hopeful anticipation, and as early counts were reported on Saturday morning, it seemed certain that the Yes vote would carry the day. Just half an hour after the ballot boxes had been opened, Leo Varadkar predicted the Yes side would gain over 60 percent of the vote.
He was not the only one who realised that history was in the making — by 10am the No campaigner and director of the Iona Institute David Quinn tweeted a message of congratulations to the Yes campaign conceding defeat. By 2pm, Dublin Castle was a scene of riotous colour as crowds gathered in force. Couples kissed, friends hugged, and families with small children came to participate. The first official figures — from Dublin North West — came in around 2.30pm. It was a resounding victory for the Yes side, which took 70.36% of the vote. As numbers from the capital were announced, it became obvious that the Fair City had overwhelmingly voted in favour of marriage equality.
David Norris arrived to a hero’s welcome. The crowd erupted into a sustained, spontaneous applause as the senator made his way around the main courtyard shaking hands with well-wishers. Norris, who successfully challenged Ireland’s laws regarding homosexuality in the European courts leading to decriminalisation in 1993, described himself as jubilant. Commenting on the strong support for the Yes campaign, Norris said: “This is a resounding statement — it’s not just a victory — and it’s a statement to the entire world.”
“We knew we had won it,” said comedian Alison Spittle. “The place started filling up, sun cream was shared and people were admiring each others’ badges, handing out rainbow sweets and hugging strangers. Everyone was there for their ‘Reeling in the Years’ moment. As the results came in, the cheers became louder and louder as constituency after constituency turned green and confirmed they were in favour of equality. Roscommon South Leitrim was met with pantomime boos but it didn’t dampen the exuberant mood.”
“The atmosphere was unbelievable and full of positive energy. We knew we were about to make history,” says Miriam Stüben. “What also struck me was a feeling of acceptance. Straight people, gay people, transgendered people, old people, young people, families with babies all helped each other to catapult Ireland from a few seats back to the very front. One of the most iconic moments was when Una Mulally stood on the podium where the media had set up. The crowd erupted into cheering, clapping and whooping. I think the whole crowd wanted to give her a hug when she shed a few tears! When the final results came in Champagne bottles were cracked open all over the place and handed around to anyone who wanted a sip. People fell into each others arms with tears and sheer relief. The song ‘Love is All Around Us’ was never so fitting as in that moment.”
Arriving at Dublin Castle, Panti was mobbed by the press, and crowds chanted her name. Panti — the stage personna of drag performer Rory O’Neill — has been a tireless supporter of LGBT rights. Derided just a few short years ago as a “bloke in a dress” in the Sunday Times, Panti galvanised support for marriage equality after the RTÉ homophobia controversy and her iconic “Noble Call” speech at the Abbey Theatre last year.
Panti was trailed by a media crew and supporters as she walked from a packed Pantibar to Dublin Castle. Although probably one of Ireland’s most recognisable faces, Panti was forced to use the public entrance as she had forgotten to bring identification.
“Are you going to send me all the way around in these heels?” she quipped, and the security guard sheepishly admitted he was.
“I am delightedly surprised at the scale of the Yes,” she said. “I don’t think Ireland changed today, but what Ireland did today was that it confirmed a change that had already happened. It’s been an incredible affirmation. ”
Panti described the victory as forty years in the making, and ascribed the result to the work of grassroots Yes canvassers.
“It’s been very empowering to see the way the gay community came together, the way our allies joined us. On the canvas you had older mothers, straight guys, students, shaven-headed lesbians, head-scarfed grannies — it’s been amazing to see that people power.”
Senator Katherine Zappone gave Ireland one of the most memorable moments of the day when she asked her partner Ann-Louise Gilligan to marry her live on television. Zappone, the first openly lesbian member of the Oireachtas, has been campaigning for marriage equality for over ten years. Although long married under Canadian law, a delighted Zappone joked, “I’d love to marry her here. There’s nothing like an Irish wedding.”
It is not often Irish ministers receive public applause, but Leo Varadkar was met by cheers when he arrived at Dublin Castle just before 6pm. The minister was clearly emotional as the final results came in. A few minutes before 6pm, Cavan-Monaghan went Yes by a narrow majority. When the final results were tallied, Yes prevailed by 62% to 38%. A huge 60.5% of the electorate had turned out to vote, with 1,201,607 voting in favour with 734,300 against – almost 2 to 1. As congratulations poured in from around the world, an emotional and happy crowd made their way into the city to celebrate..