Ireland's government wanted to modernize two passages of text. The concept of family should be expanded and a passage on the role of women in the household should be reworded.
More than two thirds of those eligible to vote voted against the proposed changes. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had already admitted defeat in the afternoon: “It was our responsibility to convince a majority of people to vote yes and we clearly failed.” The predominantly Catholic country took a similar approach in the past and introduced full marriage equality for homosexual couples.