FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL in North Dublin and Waterford City Council have become the latest local authorities to pass motions supporting same-sex marriage.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council was also due to debate a motion on the issue tonight but ran out of time.
Reacting to the news, Brian Sheehan of GLEN, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, said that the motions showed that the attitude towards gay and lesbian people in Ireland had changed.
“Today’s motions are further evidence that the tide of public and political opinion has shifted towards an acceptance of marriage for same-sex couples right across the country,” said Sheehan.
Cork City Council became the first local authority in the country to pass a motion in favour of marriage equality in June of this year. Dublin City Council passed a motion supporting it in September.
Figures released last week show that 862 couples have entered into civil partnerships since they were first introduced in Ireland in April 2011. The vast majority of couples who have entered into partnerships live in urban areas.
The upcoming Constitutional Convention is expected to discuss whether a change is needed to the constitution to allow same-sex couples to marry.
A number of senior politicians, including Leo Varadkar, Alan Shatter and several Labour TDs, have all said they are in favour of the introduction of same-sex marriage. However Taoiseach Enda Kenny came under fire during the summer when he refused to answer questions about whether he supports it, saying that it was a matter for the Constitutional Convention.
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