That’s why this is personal to me. The fact that my brother had to leave Ireland to have his dream of being married become real is insane. INSANE.

It’s time to right the scales of justice here. To sign up and register to vote next year so that each individual’s voice can be heard How often do we get to make history in our lives? Not just personal history. Familial. Social. Communal. Global. The world will be watching. We will lead by example.

Let’s lead toward light.

Back in 2009, Farrell served as his brother’s best man both for that “insane” but legal ceremony in Canada, and the civil celebration back home in Ireland. And though he’s spoken out on numerous occasions about his frustration surrounding gay rights in Ireland, Farrell has always done so with loving respect towards his country. In 2012, when he and brother Eamon joined forces with Stand Up! Don’t Stand for Homophobic Bullying, Farrell said,

Whether it be the attacking of gay students, which I witnessed first hand happening to my own brother, or students who are in the minority as a result of race or religious beliefs or any other such characteristic that separates them from ‘the norm,’ it is all wrong and has no place in a just and compassionate country such as I know Ireland to be. We have always been praised as being the friendliest and most welcoming race in the world. My wish is for us to prove it daily, in the school yards and playgrounds across this Great Land of Ours.

Farrell will be pleased to know that early polls indicate the upcoming marriage equality referendum in Ireland will enjoy a “landslide victory” when it goes to a vote in 2015.