[5][6] Two legal challenges regarding the conduct of the referendum were dismissed on 30 July by the Court of Appeal,[7] and the bill was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 29 August.

[10] Government sources pointed out the words impugned by Arnold (beirt and cibé acu is fir nó mná) are already used with similar intent elsewhere in the constitution.

[14] Counterpoints from legal academics were that Arnold's strict constructionist interpretation would be trumped by the doctrine of absurdity, and that failure to mention opposite-sex marriage would not make it illegal.

[16] Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan lost a case in the High Court in 2006 for the recognition by Ireland of their Canadian same-sex marriage.

Some legal academics claimed that extending marriage to same-sex couples did not require a constitutional amendment and could have been accomplished by an ordinary Act of the Oireachtas.

[3] In January 2015, the wording of the proposed amendment was agreed at a special cabinet meeting and published in the press, and the bill was formally introduced in the Dáil by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald.

[33] All four main parties in the Dáil supported the bill: the governing Fine Gael and Labour, and the opposition Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.

[42] From January onwards, a number of Catholic priests started to publicly express disappointment with the approach taken by the bishops in opposing same sex civil marriage and/or support of a Yes vote.

Martin Dolan, Roman Catholic priest at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra came out to his congregation and called on their support in voting Yes in the referendum.

He also said we should be sensitive to get things right, referencing the scandal surrounding Cardinal Keith O' Brien[46] who had been one of the loud proponents against homosexuality and same sex marriage, but later faced allegations of sexual misconduct from fellow priests[47][48] and was reported to have been in a long-term same-sex relationship.

[50] This decision was taken following member consultation with a released statement saying "The ACP asserts the particular responsibility that devolves on priests to measure their words carefully, and not to direct their parishioners to vote Yes or No.

Brian Ó Fearraigh announced his support for a Yes vote, making the decision as he felt the referendum gave "statutory recognition and protection to the relationships of people regardless of their sex".

He declared his intention to vote yes for same sex marriage, saying it would be "a contribution to a fairer and more truly equal Ireland" and "I cannot see any way in which it could be considered repugnant to the common good, or indeed to the vital role of the family".

She said "There has always been disagreement on what is and is not permitted by the bible," and mentioned these conflicts had always existed "...over the flat earth, over slavery, over evolution, over apartheid, over the position of women.

On 7 May, at a Changing Attitude Ireland event, former Archdeacon of Dublin, Gordon Linney said "We are being given an opportunity on May 22 finally to show the gay community that we value them for who they are.

"[64] On 22 April 2015, the leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland issued a statement advocating a no vote, saying "the change proposed in the same-sex marriage referendum denies the rights of children and the natural responsibilities of a father and a mother in nurturing them".

[86] Amnesty International launched their "Let's Make History"[87] campaign for marriage equality on 22 March 2015 to thousands of people outside the historic General Post Office, Dublin.

The launch was attended by representatives of various groups, including the Irish Feminist Network, Digi Women and the Association of Childcare Professionals.

[95] The following organisations registered as "approved bodies" to monitor postal voting and vote counting: Comhar Críostaí, Marriage Equality, Yes Equality Cork, Green Party, Mothers & Fathers Matter, Fianna Fáil, Labour Party, BeLonG To Youth Services, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, GLEN Campaign for Marriage, National LGBT Federation, Sinn Féin, and Fine Gael.

[121] Key figures in the No campaign, including David Quinn began conceding defeat as early as 10:00, long ahead of any constituencies declaring their final count.

The HomeToVote hashtag on Twitter, used by emigrant voters indicating their intent to return to Ireland to vote yes, was globally the fifth biggest trending topic of the year.

"[129] Veteran gay and civil rights campaigner, Senator David Norris, who was one of the key figures in having homosexuality decriminalised, said "I think it's wonderful.

"[136] Following the result, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) co-founders and leadership team made a number of statements showing support for the outcome of the referendum.

He felt Diarmuid Martin had "allowed himself to be bullied by the extreme conservative Catholic papers into adopting the same rigid line as the other bishops".

[138][139] The Presbyterian Church in Ireland said it was "deeply disappointed and saddened that the Constitution will no longer reflect the historic – and Christian – view of marriage that it is exclusively between one man and one woman.

[162][161] If no petition is upheld, the provisional certificate is certified as final by the Master of the High Court and the bill is sent to the President of Ireland to be signed into law, thereby amending the constitution.

[166][167] Lyons argued that the amendment is too vaguely worded and incompatible with the constitution's Christian ethos and reference to "woman ... in the home"; and also that non-voters should have been counted as no-voters.

[192][193] Lawyer Benedict Ó Floinn felt the bill's drafting should have been completed before the referendum, to minimise the lacuna during which statute law is out of step with the constitution.

[194] The Gender Recognition Act 2015 requires a transgender person to be unmarried to recognise a change of legal sex;[195] the Marriage Bill intends to remove this restriction.

[196][197] The government hoped to have the Marriage Bill enacted before the Oireachtas' summer adjournment, but the referendum petition hearings in the Court of Appeal delayed this.