Politics

‘I tried to go on unbiased sources’: Dublin voters have their say on the family and care referendums

Outside Sacred Heart National School in Glasnevin, voters outline why they voted Yes and No

Outside of the Sacred Heart National School in Glasnevin, voters explained why they voted "Yes or "No" for the family and care referendums.
Jennifer Bray
Sat Mar 09 2024 - 08:40

Sinead Corcoran – Yes Yes

“I always vote. I always want to make sure that any referendum changes are correctly done, for my children. I vote as much as possible. I voted Yes and Yes.”

“I really tried to only go by unbiased sources so I wouldn’t read any of the things that were put up by either the hard lefts or rights. I tried to get my own information. The Electoral Commission website was very good. I am very pro making changes to include everybody. I am a mother, this doesn’t change that. It doesn’t exclude my rights as a mother”.

She said the language in the Constitution around a woman’s life in the home has “always has been” sexist and “is archaic”.

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“I work outside the home. My husband is the primary carer for our children so we are very much on the flipside.”

Asked about the definition of “durable relationships” and whether she had any concerns about the phrase, she said she did not. “I have lots and lots of friends who are not married ... as long as they are deemed as secure and stable then I think that is more than enough.”

[ Growing anxiety in Government over results of referendums after voters stay home ]

Michael Finglas – No No

“If they wanted to change something, I am sure there are other things they could have been thinking about without changing this. I think it is woke gone mad, that is my opinion. I think the whole country has gone to the dogs ... I heard a very good quote, if you don’t play the game you shouldn’t change the rules.”

On extending the definition of family, he said he voted No. “It’s about time someone called a halt to it. It’s not going to be a big deal, it’s just my protest to it.”

On the care amendment, he said “for years, the place of a mother was in the home. I was brought up by a lovely woman, my wife is a good mother to our two kids and I just don’t want to change it and that’s it.”

Maeve Brady – Yes No

“I’ve been listening to all the comments about this, and I think it was the mother thing that got it for me so that’s why I came out.” She also said she did not believe the amendment went far enough for carers, and that the No side made their points more effectively. She listened to radio and TV debates.

“The way it came across me to me, (the Government) were kind of forcing it, that you had to say Yes. They weren’t really giving enough explanation for it anyway.”

She said among her friend group, it is a mixed bag where some people voted Yes and others voted No.

Monica Caffrey – No No

“One, I don’t think there is enough information there for people, and the other thing is around taking (the word) mother out.”

“Mothers should not be taken out of the Constitution. I am just totally against it.”

On the question of extending the definition of family, she said: “I can understand them wanting to do it, but I still don’t think there is enough information given out around the policies behind it. I think they are hiding from us – that’s my opinion – what they wanted to achieve.”

She said she felt that where there was not enough information, “the best thing to do was to vote no. They may come back out with more information, but as of now ... I’ll vote no.”

Des Mooney – Yes Yes

“I think it’s the way forward, to change people’s way of looking at families. I am in a situation where I have a partner but we are not classed as a family. We’ve been together for 17 years so that’s my motivation really.”

On the care amendment, he said he works as a carer in a nursing home. “I’m very pro-care. All the people I look after have dementia and they need help. Before I worked in a nursing home I worked in a community, looking after people in their houses, so you could see that people really need help and families need help.”

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times