when did civil partnerships become legal in ireland
Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 16 November 2015.[1] A referendum on 22 May 2015 amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that marriage is recognised irrespective of the sex of the partners.[2] The measure was signed into law by the President of Ireland as the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland on 29 August 2015.[3] The Marriage Act 2015, passed by the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015 and signed into law by the Presidential Commission on 29 October 2015, gave legislative effect to the amendment.[4][5][6] Marriages of same-sex couples in Ireland began being recognised from 16 November 2015[7] and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland occurred on 17 November 2015.[8]
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann [ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ] ( listen);[8] Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland,[9][10] variously described as a country, province or region.[11][12][13] Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863,[4] constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the UK's population. Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in some areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to "put forward views and proposals" with "determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments".[14]