What is the Lucky Charms’ Leprechaun’s position on this issue?
From the Referendum Commission’s website:
Who cares? He’s American so doesn’t have a vote 
Individual US states have done so as well, but obviously not the whole country.
Which ones?
I wondered about that. When I was in Ireland the week before last, most of the No posters I saw on the streets seemed more concerned with opposing surrogate mothers than with two same-sex people getting married.
Surrogacy has been dragged into the debate even though it is not an issue dealt with in the referendum.
Assuming that’s directed at me, and based on an incomplete knowledge of the full history, I believe Washington, Maryland and Maine passed referenda by public vote.
ETA: Also, Minnesota rejected an anti-SSM amendment by public vote, but the legislature subsequently made SSM legal.
Thanks.
Very interesting…this would never have happened 50 years ago. I have a question: what accounts for the great decline, in the status and influence of the RC in Ireland? Ireland used to be a country that was fervently Catholic- this seems to have changed very abruptly.
Progress.
Globalisation, increased social mobility and secularisation of Irish people, and increased diversity within Irish society all played a part I suspect.
However, the one big nail in the Catholic Church’s influence (imho) was their handling of child sex abuse allegations against priests during the '80s/'90s and more recently. They lost the confidence of many people and their moral authority crumbled. Irish society was bound to change anyway but abuse of children and unmarried mothers and a hundred other more petty oppressions contributed towards them rapidly losing much of the flock in this country.
Lucky Charms cereal has included rainbow marshmallows since 1992, so I’d suspect that Lucky the Leprechaun would be a supporter. 
There were lots of reasons but ultimately they raped too many children and hid too many priests from prosecution. They enslaved unmarried mothers in laundries and basically ran over people if they got in their way. We have had a government fall over this abuse. proportionally it’s an enormous scandal.
This wasn’t just the church, the leaders of the country and a very large section of the population at best turned their heads away, at worst they were active partners in the abuse.
The QI lads lend their support(including Stephen Fry speaking terrible Irish).
I wonder how much of an impact Pope Francis and his “Who am I to judge?” comment had on how the Catholics in Ireland feel about it. If he were to announce suddenly, “Those who marry someone of the same sex are no longer welcome to accept the Eucharist,” then it could have an effect, but as long as he appears to hold onto the doctrine that homosexuals “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” it will probably pass.
The only problem could be, what if a same-sex couple wants a Catholic wedding, which is still out of the question?
I am not sure too many people under 60 listen to the pope one way or another any more. This country has really changed immensely in my lifetime.
You both win the thread!
There are doubtless plenty of folks in Ireland who describe themselves as Catholic and who intend to vote “yes” on this referendum. Just as there are plenty of such folks in the US. Yes, we know we’re disagreeing with the official position of the Church. No, we don’t see that as an insurmountable problem.
“Describe themselves as Catholic” and “always agree with the church” are two vastly different things.
How many people who “describe themselves as Catholic” have been to mass other than Christmas and/or Easter in the past three/five/ten years? “The official position of the church” is pretty much, “They’re called ‘days of obligation’ and not ‘days of “see if you can spare some time for it”’ for a reason.”