NBC News reports on the Irish vote, with scenes of people rejoicing outside Dublin Castle, which I was waiting for all morning.
At final count, 62 percent voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the country, while 38 percent voted against it. Nearly 2 million people voted, with more than 1.2 million voting “yes” and 734,300 voting “no.”
A celebratory mood had come over Dublin even before the official results were announced around 7 p.m. local time, with tallies for each constituency displayed on big screens to thousands watching from Dublin Castle’s sun-soaked central square.
…
Sisters Rebecca and Rachel Doyle from Enniscorthy, County Wexford, were among 2,000 members of the public allowed to view the counting process at Dublin Castle.
“It feels brilliant, especially since we thought it was going to be so close and now it looks like such a definite ‘Yes’,” Rebecca told NBC News, adding that the experience was “emotional.”
It was emotional even for me, thousands of miles away.
Presumably biological sisters, not the other kind. Yay Ireland. The church has really shot itself in the foot with its handling of child abuse and the Magdalene Laundries.
Imagine, an entire country able to produce a final canvass of the vote within 24 hours of the polls closing. Crimeny, not even King County can do it that quickly.
To be fair, King County can’t do it that quickly because it takes the post office time to deliver ballots; there has to be at least a few days between “last acceptable postmark” and “if it arrives by this date, it will be counted.” Ireland has no postal voting.
Trebuchet, yes, biological sisters. (Notice they share a last name!) Marie-Therese O’Loughlin was from Enniscorthy too – there, and Goldenbridge.