Ireland celebrated its first same-sex marriage Tuesday morning after the country's new marriage equality legislation went into effect on Monday.
Cormac Gollogly and Richard Dowling, both 35, have been together for 12 years and were married at 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday. The couple is officially the first same-sex couple to tie the knot in Ireland.
"We feel so united and strong to be finally married after 12 years," Gollogly told The Huffington Post.
Gollogly, a barrister from Dublin, and Dowling, who works for the Allied Irish Bank, wed in South Tipperary in a ceremony officiated by the Senior Registrar Mary Clare Heffernan, according to the Irish Times.
Ireland legalized same-sex marriage after passing a referendum back in May. It is the first country to recognize the law via popular vote.
"We're so thankful to the people of Ireland for voting in favor of marriage equality," Gollogy told HuffPost.
The two met at The George, a popular gay bar, in Dublin. They entered into a civil partnership in September after some uncertainty over whether the marriage equality referendum would overcome initial legal challenges.
Now, they are overjoyed that they were able to officially wed.
"It's really made our relationship better and stronger, and it means so much," Gollogly said.
First Same-Sex Marriage in Ireland
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