Colin Farrell mocks Catholic Church’s reaction to equal marriage defeat
By Will Stroude
Colin Farrell has poked fun at the Catholic Church’s reaction to the legalisation of equal marriage in Ireland, saying the atmosphere following the historic referendum victory last month couldn’t have been further from opponents’ ‘doomsday’ predictions.
The Total Recall actor – who was a vocal campaigner for the ‘Yes’ campaign – told E! News that he was “overjoyed” at the result, which saw 62.1% of voters choose to back LGBT equality.
He said: “It was a huge day in the history of our country. It went by, by a healthy enough margin that it really called to mind the notion that we have become a very changed people in our outlook.”
The 39 year-old continued: “It was really funny because one of the arguments when the vote went through was that the church came out and said, ‘You know, this was a dark day for Ireland,’ and all you could see was literally rainbows everywhere, posters of rainbows, T-shirts of rainbows, men and women hugging, men and men hugging, women and women hugging, and yet cut to, ‘This is a dark day in the history of [Ireland]…’
“A dark day in the history of a country is internal civil conflict and war and bloodshed…It was a great day.”
The 39-year-old went on to answer questions about his gay brother Eamonn, who also campaigned for a ‘Yes’ vote and recently spoke to Attitude about how he was forced to leave Ireland in order to marry his partner Steven in Canada.
Asked if Eamonn would be tying the knot on home soil, Colin replied: “He certainly has earned the right to… He campaigned very hard. I was a bit concerned about him, he put himself on the line greatly for a cause he believes in… and I’m sure he will be married in the next year.
He added: “I think it’s time he enjoyed a home-grown celebration.”
You can watch the interview in full below:
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