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THERE WERE SOME very moving contributions to a discussion on same-sex marriage at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis.
Former minister Pat Carey spoke about his own experience of coming to terms with his sexuality.
“I’m not somebody who makes rash decisions,” he told delegates: “It took me all of 65-and-a-bit years to summon up the courage and the confidence to talk about my own sexuality.”
In February, Carey spoke to RTÉ about being gay because he said he feared that “soft support” for same-sex marriage may be eroded before next month’s vote on the issue.
“I think the forthcoming referendum is a marvellous opportunity for the Fianna Fáil party to proclaim its true republican credentials.
I am sick, sore and tired of hearing republicanism being about bombs and bullets. It is about liberty and freedom of speech, equality. For goodness sake, let’s all treat each other the same.
Carey said gay people wanted complete, not partial, equality.
He recalled being present when then Minister for Justice Máire Geoghegan-Quinn introduced legislation to decriminalise homosexuality in 1993.
There was a virtual rebellion in the room at the time and I may well have been one of them.
Carey then noted that the sky hasn’t fallen in since then, stating: “If anything we’ve become a kinder, more tolerant society.”
He said that when he had the equality brief in cabinet many people contacted him to say the introduction of civil partnership was “damning ourselves and damning the Irish nation”.
Carey said some of the same people are now telling the gay community: “Sure, civil partnership is great, shouldn’t you be satisfied with it?” He noted that these people would be unlikely to swap their own marriage certificates for civil partnership ones.
Carey said he is aware that “quite a number” of delegates are uncomfortable with same-sex marriage.
He added that he is a practising Roman Catholic but can separate his religious beliefs from people’s civic right to marriage.
Senator Averil Power also spoke in favour of same-sex marriage, saying the No side were wrong to link the issue to surrogacy.
Carey encouraged people to canvass for a Yes vote:
“This measure is really important. It’s not for me.
I don’t think I’ll be getting married at the age of 68-and-a-bit. I’d love to, but I’m not sure that at this stage of my life anybody would put up with me.
The majority of the speakers at the discussion were Yes voters. However, some delegates did speak out against same-sex marriage.
‘No’ vote
One man said he was “somewhat embarrassed” to express his view, while another said he would be voting No as the sanctity of marriage needs to be protected.
Another No voter said Fianna Fáil and others are going after the “pink vote” by supporting same-sex marriage, warning that “seriously-minded Christians” will leave the party as a result.
He claimed the party’s stance was being dictated by global corporations, getting a few jeers when he said: “I do not take directions from Twitter or Ibec.”
Margaret Gill (80) spoke very movingly about her daughter Barbara who was killed in an road accident eight years ago.
She left behind her lesbian partner and an eight-week-old son.
Margaret said her daughter would have loved to have got married. She same-sex marriage didn’t happen in Barbara’s lifetime, but that she is “determined it will happen in mine”.
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Who’s mammy and daddy left who the most. Let the battles begin!
@Dan The Man: Yeah,keep telling yourself that.typical Irish attitude towards success and hard work.We must be the worst begrudging nation on earth.
@Dan The Man: Just because you didn’t make it very far in life, doesn’t mean others can’t either. You just assume that anyone with something decent was just given to them. Is that your coping mechanism because you can’t admit there is people who work harder than you and make better decisions?
@John Paul: well that’s one way to look at it, but you can see how such shows might really grate on those that haven’t been able to afford a house. I am in fact lucky enough to have purchased a house I can afford but I do wonder when we might see a tent or a temporary type of house on the show. Doesn’t fit the narrative though.
This is tat, pure and simple, but it’s par for the course with RTE!
This abomination along with the other shitshow cheap Irish homes have to be the worst ever attempt by RTE at entertainment.
@Sea Spirit: Why don’t they give updates or tell you what home the people featured, make a bid on. What’s the point of it all!
@Sea Spirit: A stop Dathai should be on this show aswell for god sake he’s brilliant oh Frank
Hugh Wallace makes me nauseas ‘Hooooooome of the year’… while the majority of us hard working people can’t even afford the circular red pillow to put in our ‘favourite place’. Yup rub it in please Man just a little bit more.
@J B: No fair enough JB and thank you for that x You must be so proud of your children that’s amazing x You’re right in fairness, I need to get over my resentments it’s just hard because genuinely worked so hard and lost everything. There I go again with the self pity!! Sorry JB and thanks again for your reply x
@Donna Fallon: As all the evidence shows, Irish people have never been better off financially. Look at car sales, holidays etc. There are always people who get left behind or endure bad circumstances etc but they are definitely not the majority
@Brian M: Yup there certainly are people who get left behind I agree but our obsession with property porn in this Country is quite unsettling. I personally find it distasteful. Just an opinion.
Love the show and the judges. It is amazing what people can do on very little as in the converted shop in Tipperary. Gorgeous home full of personality.
@Suzanne Phelan: I prefer those to the ones that obviously just had more money than taste thrown into them, everything to the max size, but minimal and sterile at the same time.
Home of the year …
I blame Duncan Stewart and his show “our house” with rté which started in the mid 90s for the start of the property boom. Just looat the graph 1996 / 2008 \ 2014 / 2025
@P. V. Aglue: Ah Drunken Duncan. There’s a name I haven’t seen in a while
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