Ireland gay marriage vote: 'No' campaign appears to concede amid reports of 'yes' landslide victory

Iona Institute and David Quinn, major "No" campaign backers, congratulate Yes campaign on victory

The Republic of Ireland appears set to become the first country to introduce same-sex marriage by a popular vote, especially now since the ‘no’ campaign appears to have conceded.

David Quinn, of the Iona Institute and ‘No’ campaign tweeted a concession and congratulations to the ‘Yes’ campaign amid widespread reports of a landslide.

In a statement the Iona institute said: “We would like to congratulate the Yes side on winning such a handsome victory in the marriage referendum.

“They fought a very professional campaign that in truth began long before the official campaign started.

“For our part, The Iona Institute is proud to have helped represent the many hundreds of thousands of Irish people who would otherwise have had no voice in this referendum because all of the political parties backed a Yes vote.

“The Iona Institute would like to thank the thousands of volunteers up and down the country who worked day and night to try and secure a No vote.”

David Quinn said: “Going forward, we will continue to affirm the importance of the biological ties and of motherhood and fatherhood. We hope the Government will address the concerns voters on the No side have about the implications for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.”