Irish voters for gay marriage

Voters in Ireland turned out en masse on Friday for a referendum on same sex marriage, with early results all but confirming victory for the Yes campaign. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in the country 20 years ago. Early exit polls indicated the proposal will pass by about two-to-one, making the country the first to adopt same-sex marriage via a popular vote.

National broadcaster RTE reported that the referendum was one of the highest turnouts ever. The first official results released, from eight of Ireland's 43 constituencies, showed voters backing same-sex marriage by between 60% and 40%, with turnout over 60%.

“It's looking as if there's a strong vote in urban areas, which would be more beneficial to the Yes side,” said Mattie McGrath, one of just two of Ireland's 166 MPs who campaigned for a No vote. On Saturday, with the final result still pending, the No campaign threw in the towel and conceded defeat.

The vote's final result depended in large part on thousands of younger voters turning out in favour. Meanwhile, international interest in the referendum could be seen by the issue becoming the top trending subject on Twitter, and with thousands of Irish expats going home to vote.

Same sex marriage has the support of all of the country's political parties and is backed by big employers and endorsed by celebrities.