It's just over two years since Ireland became the first and only country to pass marriage equality by a public vote. Following Thursday's High Court decision, Australia now has the chance to be the second. I have been struck by how powerful that "Irish" moment felt here in Australia. Everywhere I have travelled people tell me how great that day felt and how much joy they got watching the scenes of celebration on the other side of the globe.

Of course, if we are being honest, part of the reaction felt here was surprise. Ireland? Really? There is no doubt that Ireland is an advanced country, with a confident and positive population and is home to some of the biggest technology firms in the world, but for most people the mention of Ireland conjures up images of rolling hills, sheep and Father Ted episodes.

Illustration: Simon Letch

Both these generalisations are true. We are a religious country with the second highest weekly mass attendance rate in Europe, but we have an openly gay Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar. We believe in strong families and communities and are very cautious about changing our constitution for any reason. But we did this by referendum for same sex marriage in 2015.

For far too long Ireland had been a cold and dark place for gay people. Indeed I was in university in 1994 when homosexuality was decriminalised. Yet Ireland voted yes to marriage equality. The reason why is very similar to here in Australia. We did not see marriage equality as a radical change in all those values we held dear. Rather, we saw it as a confirmation of those values. It was not a big leap into the dark but rather a final small step on a remarkable journey towards equality for our lesbian and gay community.