Ireland is one step closer to allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil marriages.
"This is a day to thank the people of Ireland for their vote on May 22," declared Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, after the bill passed the Dail Eireann, which is Irish for "Assembly of Ireland," to great applause, according to a report from Irish broadcaster RTE. That vote made Ireland the the first country in the world to approve marriage equality by popular vote.
Wednesday marked a "momentous day on our journey towards a more equal republic," said Robert Troy, a member of Parliament from the center-right Fianna Fail party.
Now the bill moves onto the Seanad, the Irish equivalent of the Senate. Same-sex marriages are expected to be taking place by November.
