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Media coverage on legalisation of same sex marriage in Ireland

Ireland makes headlines on major media organisations around the world after it became the first country to nationally vote to legalise same sex marriage on May 22.

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On May 22, Ireland made headlines when it became the first country to nationally vote to legalise same sex marriage.

The referendum was passed 62.1% yes to 37.9% no vote. An earlier report, had stated that the referendum marked a dramatic social shift in the traditionally Catholic country.

Read: Ireland: 62% voters back gay marriage in 'social revolution'

From the very beginning, the historic referendum, has gained widespread media coverage globally. Major publications covered an in-depth analysis of the referendum to the feeling of the people ready to make their 'Yes' vote.

A look at how international media publications covered the referendum before the vote:

According to the Independent.IE, a study confirmed that prior to the marriage equality referendum, the majority support in the Irish print media was for a 'Yes' vote, as they had printed three times more 'Yes' vote articles. The study, examined the Irish Examiner, Daily Mail, The Star, Sunday Times and Sunday Business Post.

A total of 773 articles were analysed by Newsaccess Media Intelligence - whether the articles written veered towards a Yes vote, No vote or neutral. Based on the study, figures showed, pieces favouring a ‘Yes’ vote accounted for 54.85% of articles published during the three week period.

An article from the Irish Examiner, 'Other priests will vote yes in referendum', is an example of the study's findings.

Like many others, BBC focused on the historical importance on the referendum: the fact that same sex marriage will be sanctioned by a nation-wide vote, testing the traditions and rules of the Catholic church.

In their article titled 'Ireland's divisive referendum on same-sex marriage', BBC stated, "a pivotal moment in the evolving relationship between Church and State, pitting religious leaders against the government in an historically conservative and Catholic country".

In a similar light, CNN stated in their article, 'Ireland votes overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage'"As is the case in many other countries around the world, the issue is a polarising one in Ireland, a country that didn't decriminalise homosexuality until the 1990s. This referendum was seen as a test of whether more liberal thinking can trump Ireland's traditionally conservative, Catholic leanings."

The Financial Times, shed light on the country's transformation as a society to be able to have such a ground breaking referendum. They state, "Whatever the outcome, the fact that gay marriage is being put to the people at all is testament to the profound transformation of Irish society. From being one of Europe’s most socially conservative and Catholic societies as late as the 1980s, Ireland finds itself in 2015 on the brink of embracing one of the modern world’s defining issues."

The Sydney Morning Herald echoed similar sentiments. It pointed out, “Legalising gay marriage would be a seismic change in traditionally Catholic Ireland, where homosexuality was illegal until 1993 and abortion remains prohibited except where the mother’s life is in danger.”

In some of the publications in more conservative countries, like Pakistan's Dawn and China's China Daily, the media chose to simply report the facts and outcome and did not take an in-depth look at nuances and significance of the referendum.

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