SAME-SEX COUPLES IN Northern Ireland have officially begun to ‘convert’ their civil partnerships into marriages.

Couples in more than 1,300 same-sex civil partnerships are allowed to tie the knot in the region from today.

Cara McCann and Amanda McGurk became the first such couple to do, celebrating their marriage on the steps of Belfast City Hall.

“We fought long and hard for the right to marry,” McCann said.

“We want to thank everyone who was part of this great movement for love and equality, and which has delivered this wonderful, positive change for our society.”

Stormont finance minister Conor Murphy said 32 couples planned to convert their civil partnerships this week.

In February, Belfast couple Robyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards became the first same-sex couple in the North to officially tie the knot.

Their marriage came after they had been in a relationship for several years, but they were not in a civil partnership when they got married.

The ceremony took place after a landmark law change in the region, which followed a lengthy campaign and legislative change at Westminster while Stormont power-sharing was suspended.

With reporting from Press Association.