Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said May 23rd, 2015, was the best day in his political life due to the result of the marriage equality referendum and because he performed the official opening of St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown.
“It was just one of those days where everything came together. I started that day performing the official opening of St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown which I’d been able to get funding for as health minister so I just kind of saw two projects on the one day that were totally different and totally unconnected coming to fruition so it’s those kind of days that make it all worthwhile,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
Mr Varadkar added it had been overwhelming at the referendum count centre. He had anticipated the results would be similar to the divorce referendum in 1994 in that the Yes vote would be stronger in urban areas with a big No vote in rural areas, but that did not happen.
As the results came in from around the country it became obvious that “it was a country that was embracing the idea of equality before the law for everyone, equal rights, freedom, equality of opportunity, and was doing it without a huge rural-urban divide or a class divide – you know all those things that we see so much of now in politics, that day we didn’t and that was great.”
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Mr Varadkar said the result “spurred us on to do other things like for example the Gender Recognition Act later and things like repealing the 8th [amendment on abortion] in 2018 so you know it wasn’t just a one-day event, it was actually part, I think, of a wave of progress and liberty and freedom that Ireland was part of”.
Mr Varadkar acknowledged that when he started in politics he had not anticipated how much things would change in Ireland in the space of 10 years.
He also admitted his decision to “come out” had not caused him great angst but added it did cross his mind that it might have an impact on his future career.
However, Mr Varadkar warned there were going to be setbacks in Ireland and around the world.
“I always say that the arc of history bends towards progress, but it’s not a straight line. There are always going to be backlashes. And they’re going to be setbacks and sometimes they’re gonna be severe.
“It’s one step forward, two steps back. That’s kind of where we are at the moment.”
