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THE #HOMETOVOTE HASHTAG has dominated social media today, with heartfelt stories of people making the trip home to vote in the marriage equality referendum.
Here, we chatted to four people who successfully made it back, and why the vote matters to them:
When did you make it home?
I flew in last Friday, after moving there in January. I was waiting on the referendum date to be announced – and as soon as it was, I booked my flight. I was always going to be here for the referendum.
Were you following the campaign from San Francisco?
The thing about it is, all my friends on social media were Yes so I hadn’t quite realised until I got home how neck and neck it might be here. I have been out canvassing and have been shocked when people would answer the door and say they were voting no.
But coming home has been great – seeing my straight friends know as much about the issues has been amazing. That’s what it’s all about.
When did you fly in?
I flew in from London this morning. The minute the campaign started my family and friends were getting a little nervous, so I said I would book my flight early on.
The plane to Dublin was packed with people, badges, and just a great, positive atmosphere. I had to explain to two Japanese tourists what exactly was going on, and they were fully supportive. There was just lots of positivity.
How did you find being away for the campaign?
I was following it over there. If anything, it is the guilt of not being around to do the heavy lifting. There were nights that people were posting on Twitter the awful stuff they were hearing out and about and it was then I would have loved to be at home for the full campaign.
How was the flight home?
I left this morning at 8am but there was a three hour delay because there was fog on the ground at Cardiff. There was no real presence of Tá or Yes on the flight back, but it was mostly connecting flights through to the States, so that’s to be expected.
Have you been following the campaign when you were in Cardiff?
I saw my local TD in the Irish Times a few days ago saying he was voting No and that really spurred me to make the trip home. It’s been interesting to see the support for Yes online, and I have been following all the hashtags when I was away.
When did you make it back from Toronto
I came back a week or two ago. I knew I was going to come back at some stage this year and I wanted to come back for the vote, so I booked at the end of April. I had to be here for it.
I knew straight away that I would vote Yes, unfortunately some of my friends in Toronto couldn’t make it back because of work.
How was it being abroad for the campaign?
I’d see a couple of things pop up on Facebook when I was away, but you still feel a little bit cut off from it. Since I’ve been home, though, you’ve got a lot more time to engage – and it’s great to be part of such a historic thing.
Written by David Elkin and originally published on DailyEdge.ie.
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The biggest ‘sh##show’ imaginable. I point the finger fairly and squarely at Simple Simon Harris. The cost is truly astonishing followed closely by incompetence on a stratospheric level. Let us not forget the poor kiddies that are being deprived of the care they deserve, all because of a government run by gimps.
@Padraic O’ Sullivan: Ah yes, Dr Reilly, should be called Little Jack Horner, as he had his thumb in many pies!
@Padraic O’ Sullivan: I’ve never understood why this wasn’t built at the Connolly hospital site in Blanchardstown. An absolute and enduring fiasco from start to eventual finish.
@honey badger: from what I heard it was because the consultants (probably some that signed this letter) wouldn’t move there, I wouldn’t take that as gospel though.
@honey badger: It would have been ideal, on the M50, readily accessible from anywhere, but no, vested interests take precedence!
@honey badger: or maybe in the midlands where it’s central to the whole country
@The next small thing: I have family in there and heard Southside consultants had the final say on it. Made to suit the Blackrock brigade a F the rest of us as per usual. No real surprises there to be honest.
@Andrew Kenny: FG gave the green light to proceed construction in the heart of Dublin City, we all know it should have been built in Blanchardstown, heavy traffic has always been a problem in this part of the city and now it’s going to be much heavier and will cause longer delays for everyone trying to negotiate traffic especially for people living in the area and commuters heading west towards Palmerstown, Lucan, Leixlip, Cellbridge.
@Adam H2022: anyone who thinks medical consultants had ANY say in where hospitals are located has no understanding of how the health system in Ireland works. All decisions like this are made by the department of health and politicians
No need to worry gang… it will be at least another year before this is open..no need to panic
@David Cotter: a complete joke
@Chutes Idiot: you’re optimistic… Wasn’t that hospital moved to a “2030 Project” some days after the November elections? I wish I were wrong though
Great breakdown on the fiasco here:
Shows this disaster is now well known around the World. I’ve also heard Bam might ask for another €853 million, pushing the total cost well past €3 billion.
@David Jordan: This is what happens when Student Union activists are running the government, like getting children to operate a nuclear reactor!
Well of course there’s going to be staff shortages. They’ve built a building. They haven’t built any kind of medical system that anyone in there right mind would want to work in. How any of the staff turn up for work everyday is beyond me. I mean frontline staff that are being ran into the ground day in day out. Having a recruitment embargo on irish nurses whole recruiting them from abroad is just a slap in the face to any junior nurse that was going to enter the system. If they have any sense they will be long gone and god bless them in there lives. The NCH was a ego project for fg.
Exactly where are the staff to treat the kiddies commung from .there is a lack of nurses and Dr’s as it is in ireland due to the extra long hours and awfull pay
@Karen Marten: “awful pay” Doctors!
@Michael Reilly: there are a thousand vacancies for consultants. They won’t return to Ireland while the conditions are so appalling. What has the minister for health to say about all this?
In another 2 years the hospital still won’t be open but the sick kids will be living out there grandparents back garden in a lag cabin
Import the third world, Become the third world!
POTA!
Enough of this debacle now, no point contributing to dialogue on this sad happening for children of this isle, it is what it is let’s wait until the doors are open.
Unless the minister gets the working conditions right for the medical and nursing staff the crisis continues.
Doctors do you real jobs and turn up for work at weekends
have your say