Tag Archives: Marriage Referendum

AN appeal over a failed challenge to the Yes vote in the same sex marriage referendum will get an early hearing, the Court of Appeal heard. Gerry Walshe, of Lisdeen, Kilkee wants to appeal last week’s refusal by the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, of his application to to bring a petition challenging the May 22 referendum result. He is seeking a stay restraining the issuing of the necessary certificate verifying the referendum result. Mr Justice Peter Kelly, dealing with Mr Walshe’s application on Friday, said papers in the case must be ready in two weeks when the court will give him a date for a hearing. The judge said it was an urgent matter and needed to be dealt with soon. Mr Walshe, representing himself, claims the decision is flawed on a number of grounds including that expenditure by the Government on the Yes campaign was not done openly and transparently and in accordance with …

A Kilkee man’s application for a stay restraining the issuing of a certificate verifying the result of the same sex marriage referendum will come before the Court of Appeal this Thursday. The application for the stay was made on Tuesday by Mr Gerry Walshe, an electrician from Lisdeen, who is appealing last week’s decision by High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns to refuse Mr Walshe permission to bring a petition challenging the May 22 referendum result. Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon at the Court of Appeal, Mr Walshe told Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geogeghan that he is appealing the High Court’s decision. As part of that appeal he wants the Appeal Court to grant a stay on the certificate verifying last month’s result from being issued. However, Mr Walshe, who is representing himself in the action, accepted that he had not yet been able to formally lodge his appeal. The judge told Mr Walshe that if he wished to have his application …

A TOTAL of 1,646 people in Clare have been added to the supplementary register in advance of this Friday’s referendums, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). The group is also calling on young people to ensure they cast their vote. The NYCI is the representative body for youth organisations with 1,400 staff and 40,000 volunteers, who work with more than 380,000 young people nationwide. James Doorley, NYCI deputy director, said, “We have compiled the figures from local authorities, which indicate that 1,646 people in Clare added their names to the supplementary register before the May 5 deadline, which is to be welcomed. “Now, however, the focus must turn to getting out the vote. There are almost 400,000 18 to 25-year-olds in Ireland. NYCI is encouraging this age group, in particular, to make sure they make their voices heard on Friday. Over 3.1 million citizens have the right to vote in these referendums and with some results, as …

THERE were no shocks, anaphylactic or otherwise when the No campaign roadshow in the same sex referendum rolled into Ennis on Thursday lunchtime. Paddy Manning, barely over the shock of a potentially fatal egg-throwing incident in Navan on Wednesday, is a gay man campaigning for a No vote. He told the small gathering in O’Connell Square, “I’m gay and voting No in the referendum because I believe that equality for children should come first”. He admitted to still being in shock at the Navan incident where a 10-year-old schoolgirl, Muireann De Clár, who is severely allergic to eggs, was sitting on the side of an advertising truck bearing a No campaign ad when at least one youth started throwing missiles, including eggs. The young girl had to be treated with an Anapen adrenaline injector as she suffered a severe allergic reaction, which caused a rash to quickly spread across her face, neck and shoulder. “We’ve been in 12 or 14 towns in the …

Fine Gael MEPs are calling for a Yes vote in the upcoming Marriage Referendum. On May 22, Ireland will become the first country in the world to put same-sex marriage to a popular vote. Speaking from the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness (Midlands North West), Brian Hayes (Dublin), Deirdre Clune and Seán Kelly (Ireland South) encouraged voters to stand with the 10 other EU countries that have extended equal rights to same-sex couples to marry. They reiterated Ireland’s strong record when it comes to defending human rights and promoting equal opportunities for all citizens, including the LGBTI community. The European Parliament has made extraordinary progress in the advancements of anti-discriminatory laws for LGBTI citizens across Europe, they said. Ten EU Countries have already extended equal rights to their LGBTI citizens to marry: Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK (excluding Northern Ireland), Slovenia and Sweden.