Sir, – Thank you to the majority, who voted for the minority, to have equality. – Yours, etc,
EILEEN MAGUIRE,
Goatstown, Dublin 14.
Sir, – Ireland and the Irish people are to be congratulated on the recent referendum. Most countries of the world, including many so-called civilised ones, could not hold a referendum on any issue.
In this case, a referendum on a highly contentious, emotive, and ethical issue was held with prolonged, careful and honest debate, the voting took place without problems and it is evident that those holding the losing view have accepted the majority decision.
Once again Ireland has demonstrated itself to be a modern democracy of which we can be proud. – Yours, etc,
DAVID HAWCROFT,
Navan, Co Meath.
Sir, – Those of us in the diaspora can only marvel at and be grateful for what Ireland has shown itself to be to the world – a whole country “looking at the stars”. – Yours, etc,
MIKE LAWLOR,
Teddington,
Middlesex.
Sir, – Breda O'Brien ("An inconvenient truth about the same-sex marriage referendum", Opinion & Analysis, May 25th) suggests that the system "ignored 734,300 voters". It did not. Their votes were counted. They were in the minority. They lost. This is how a referendum works. – Yours, etc,
CLAIRE HENNESSY
Dublin 16.
Sir, – We are fortunate to live both in a time and a place where people are allowed to and can think for themselves, and for that we should be very grateful. – Yours, etc,
MICHELE SAVAGE,
Dublin 12.
Sir,– Will the grand liberal agenda alliance retire now and declare mission accomplished? We may hear of new dawns, new beginnings and inspirational new horizons but can they be sustained without the largesse of Chuck Feeney, whose munificent grants come to an end in 2016? As a parting gesture let’s rename George’s Street in his honour or at least mark it with a gable-end mural. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL ANDERSON,
Balgriffin, Dublin 13.
Sir, – I sincerely hope those who showed enthusiasm in the removal of posters during the campaign will legitimately remove posters and cable ties now that the referendum is over. – Yours, etc,
Dr OLIVER JOYCE,
Sligo.
Sir, – Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has called for a “reality check” after the mauling inflicted by the Yes campaign.
This shouldn’t take too long. Unlike the days of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, who called the shots a generation ago, the authority and influence now of the church are minimal and have been overstated. It now finds itself competing with agony aunts, popular culture, reality TV and rampant materialism to gain the ear of a more educated and less deferential audience. It does not stand a chance. And of course the drip-drip disclosures of sexual misconduct by some clergy and the subsequent attempts by the hierarchy to conceal such actions simply reinforced the antipathy of many toward the church. How’s that for a reality check? – Yours, etc,
FRANK GREANEY,
Formby, Liverpool.
Sir, – I hope that when the Catholic Church does its “reality check”, it may consider that many people may have voted because of their Catholic education rather than despite it.
“Do unto others . . .”, and all that. – Yours, etc,
CONOR MACKEY,
Morden,
Surrey.
Sir, – In the wake of the emphatic endorsement of the marriage equality referendum by the Irish people, Senator Rónán Mullen has questioned whether a perceived democratic deficit exists in the Oireachtas, as "a third of the voters were not represented by a third of the politicians" ("No crosses line in just one of 43 constituencies", May 23rd).
Our Oireachtas is not a “single issue” legislature. The suggestion that each citizen’s views on every subject should or could be proportionately represented isn’t just impractical, it is impossible. It could only be accommodated by establishing hundreds of separate Houses for every single issue.
The implication that the marriage equality referendum was inherently unfair is demonstrably false. Arguments proffered by the “No” side were represented fairly and comprehensively throughout the campaign, with both sides receiving equal coverage and representation in all television and radio debates.
A majority of the political parties endorsed the presidential age referendum, which was rejected by the people. Three-quarters of the voters were not represented by three-quarters of the politicians on this issue either, which proved no encumbrance to the electorate.
The question for the No campaign is, does it accept the democratic will of the Irish people? If it accepts the legitimacy of the referendum, then this issue has been decided fairly, legally, emphatically and conclusively. Talk of a democratic deficit is another “red herring”. – Yours, etc,
BARRY FLANAGAN,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Could the 40 per cent of people who voted No now use it to highlight their right to be different and seek support from the political parties and elected representatives (with a few notable exceptions) who did nothing to represent the opinions of this large minority during the referendum campaign? – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS HAYES,
Fethard, Co Tipperary.
A chara, – It is great for gay people, their families and friends to have seen the referendum on marriage pass. I voted Yes. However, I feel quite angered that equality in this country is so arbitrary. There was a general consensus and backing of political parties, the media and various interest groups for a Yes vote. The energising of the youth vote was notable. Eamon Gilmore called it the civil rights issue of this generation and yet there are so many other marginalised groups in our society who don’t get half the support. My daughter will be 19 when sitting her Leaving Cert in a mainstream school but my son will have to leave school at 18 because he has special needs.
Will I ever see people travelling home to vote for his rights? Will I ever see letters from the glitterati supporting him? How far down the pecking order are people with a disability on the equal rights agenda?
Before we pat ourselves on the back for having moved forward and being so marvellous, we should stand back and see how far our inclusiveness actually goes. In this great little country of ours it seems everyone is equal but some are definitely more equal than others. – Is mise,
MÁIRE LAMBERTINI ,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – What a great day to be alive! Ireland has shown the world that love can conquer anything. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOAN GILLER,
Schull, Co Cork.
Sir,– Following on the wonderful result of the marriage equality referendum, it is to be hoped that many of the soon-to-be-wed gay couples will consider honeymooning in Roscommon/South Leitrim. – Yours, etc,
ANNE DALLAGHAN,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The 2011 census shows that we, in Roscommon/South Leitrim, stand alone on many fronts. In short, we have the oldest population in the country, and the lowest in the key demographic that drove the movement for justice on this moral principle. Just 13 per cent of our college graduates get their first job in the county, the lowest proportion in the country. There is no big or even medium industry in the region – the youth depart in higher proportion than anywhere else.
We should thus bear in mind that several thousand young first-generation Rossies – myself, my wife, and my siblings among them (and not forgetting the Leitrimites) – voted in other, more advantaged, parts of the country – mainly, we can assume, in the Dublin suburbs. Had they been born in Limerick, Kildare or Galway, they’d have voted in higher proportion in their home county.
But – put upon as we are in Roscommon – this is not about us, as such. It’s about every living citizen, as well as past and future citizens.
So, Up the Rossies! But, first and always, Up the Republic! – Yours, etc,
TOM HICKEY,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – Ireland has shown itself to be a tolerant, compassionate place. Who would have thought just a few years ago that Fianna Fáil would win a seat? – Yours, etc,
RORY J WHELAN,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.