Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Dublin today to march for civil marriage equality.

Singer Brian Kennedy will join members of the LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender – community, their family and friends for the demonstration.

Protesters will gather at City Hall, Dublin, at 3pm and march to the Department of Justice on St Stephen’s Green, where a mass rally will be staged.

Campaign group LGBT Noise believes the denial of marriage equality in Ireland is a human rights issue.

Organiser Max Krzyzanowski urged the Government to listen to the repeated calls highlighting the inequalities of civil partnership legislation and demonstrate their commitment to equality for all by lifting the ban on same-sex marriage.

He maintained the Civil Partnership Act 2011 has only served to cement inequality in Irish society by explicitly excluding LGBT people from the institution of marriage.