In just 17 months, every county in Ireland has hosted a civil partnership ceremony

CIVIL Partners in Ireland have the same rights as married couples in tax, inheritance, next of kin, social welfare, immigration, pensions, home protection and have the same protections as married couples in employment and equality. I am so proud of my wee country moving out of the dark ages. This is amazing how a catholic country can achieve something the USA and many other countries cannot even grasp. We in Ireland dont care if some one is gay if there happy who are we to interfere let them have their rights, everyone's happy no one is losing welcome to the modern world here is hoping other countries follow suit

Hmmm! EVERY county in Ireland? Do they have the figures for counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, and Tyrone in the province of Ulster? Sexuality should be a private affair. Why do these people insist and persist in projecting their socially subversive sexuality on society?

We always knew that the country was full of FAIRIES & LEPRECHAUNS

I dont know what that idiot lawyer4 is talking about ! Belief in God is not religious superstition ,bigotry or communal hatred .In fact it is to people with religious beliefs that the poor and needy turn to in time of deprivation . Regarding the mindless comment about "the prolongation of our islands agony " ,I assume he refers to the achievement of Irish independence .What about the agony of the previous 800 years ? The likes of lawyer4 would not be much use to you in a fight ,in fact you would probably have to keep an eye on him as well !!

that's GREAT....but, do these couples HAVE all the SAME RIGHTS & PROTECTIONS, that straight couples have and TAKE for GRANTED?....that's what is IMPORTANT....that they have ALL THE RIGHTS AND SUCH THAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS TO ENJOY. ALISA

It's good to see Ireland finally escaping from centuries of religious superstition, bigotry and communal hatred. The commentators who disagree appear to be self-styled "Irish Americans" of the Fenian dinosaur type who funded the prolongation of our island's agony.

Civil partnerships are stage regulated and should not impinge on the well-understood definition of marriage i.e sacred union between one man and one woman open to creation. The headline refers to every county in "Ireland" registering same sex partnerships. It seems to be only with reference to the entity called the Republic of Ireland and does not seem to include the northern portion of the partitioned country. This is indicative of how "Ireland" has become defined in an inaccurate and very narrow sense.

Welcome to the fallen world of debasement described in scared scripture. Scripture also warns of what will follow when we abandon God's/nature's laws.

I met a parent recently who was very pleased with life as 1. All his children married someone of the opposite sex . 2. None of his grandchildren were at the wedding of their parents !

we knew there were many hiding in the closets soon we'll be able to get a handle on the numbers. perhaps gaelic games should come up with ghays versus straights all-irelands for the men, as to the ladies i won't be touching that.

A government has a duty and right to regulate all unions, regardless of traditional marriage or "common law" and similarly named unions.Doing the same for property, insurance and inheritance rights and if children are included, are incumbent. Refining marriage has nothing to do with Church and State. The Creator or male and female in His image and likeness and asking that the two, as in man and woman become one flesh, "person" in Hebrew has the say-so in this topic and most of the ordinary people of the world are on His side, despite the well-meaning words and actions of Government officials in some quarters and same-gender activists.