Barrister makes history with Ireland’s first same-sex marriage

An Irish barrister yesterday made history by taking part in Ireland’s first same-sex marriage ceremony.

Cormac Gollogly, 35, married Richard Dowling, 35, at a low-key ceremony in Clonmel on Tuesday morning. The couple had formed a civil partnership in September but later chose to convert this into a marriage.

The couple told The Irish Times that they were unsure whether the Marriage Act 2015 would be held up by legal challenges when they decided to form the civil partnership, followed by a honeymoon in the Maldives.

Yesterday’s ceremony was officiated by senior registrar Mary-Claire Heffernan and witnessed by workers in the registry office.

Mr Gollogly told The Irish Times: “It’s great to be the first to do it.”

He also said the pair “decided to keep it simple and decided to have lunch with the families in Dublin” instead of organising another large ceremony.