The first civil partnership of a gay couple is happening today in Ireland. Barry Dignam and Hugh Walsh will be civilly wed in a registry office in Dublin today, having given the required 3 months notice to the State in January when the civil partnership bill came into effect.
Congrats to the happy couple!
We are going to see alot more gay and lesbian weddings now that the civil partnership bill has come into effect and while many gay couples feel that it is not far enough, it is a big step and should be welcomed. More and more wedding venues and hotels are going to start looking for their bit of the “pink pound” and we have a dedicated section of gay wedding venues for same sex couples to check out.
From the Irish Times website this morning:
Up to April 1st the number of couples who had given notice of intention to enter a civil partnership had reached 267 according to the Department of Social Protection.
Although there are no official figures as to the number of civil partnerships and marriages registered outside the State, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen) estimates that there could be up to 1,000 same-sex relationships from 27 overseas jurisdictions which received recognition in Ireland as and from January 13th, 2011.
