Exhibition
On 22 May 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples by a vote of the people.
In the lead-up to the referendum, three organisations — the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, and Marriage Equality — came together to form Yes Equality – the Campaign for Civil Marriage Equality. It was a challenge many thought impossible.
The first billboard set the tone: Loving. Equal. Fair. Generous. Inclusive.
There are many words to describe Ireland. On 22 May we needed only one: Yes. In the weeks that followed, campaigns bloomed across the country. LGBTIQ+ groups, Trade Unions, Political Parties, Student Unions, Community Groups, Civil and Human Rights Organisations all played their part.
Coordinated from a buzzing (and cramped) HQ in Dublin, and powered mostly by volunteers, the campaign grew into more than 70 local groups, a shop, a warehouse, a video centre — and a Yes Bus that toured the nation.
It was won by thousands of people around Ireland who sparked a national conversation — one grounded in dignity, respect and equality.
All the photographs shown here were taken by Dublin-based photographer Paul Sharp (Sharppix), official photographer of the campaign. A graduate of Newport School of Photography, Paul’s work is held in permanent collections and widely published around the world.
In 2020, Yes Equality donated its full digital archive to the National Library of Ireland. This extraordinary collection of images, videos and documents captures the heart of the grassroots movement.
To mark the 10-year anniversary, the NLI has made over 1,000 of these photographs available online — its first-ever born-digital archival collection. You can explore it at www.nli.ie.
The exhibition is made possible by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland and is on at the Europa Gallery, 11 Chatham St, Dublin2 from 21st May to 4th July.
