The Frontline: Lessons in people power – The Irish Marriage Referendum, 10 years on
As LGBTI communities face growing hostility, Ailbhe Smyth reflects on how Irish activists united across divides to win a historic referendum victory for marriage equality ten years ago, and what today’s LGBTI organisers can learn from that approach.
Ten years after Ireland’s landmark marriage equality referendum, this episode of The Frontline offers a powerful and insight rich talk for LGBTI activists, community organisers and anyone working for social change in this time of rising authoritarianism. Ailbhe Smyth, cofounder of the 2015 Marriage Equality campaign and a central figure in Ireland’s feminist and LGBTI movements, shares practical lessons on how to work across differences to build people power, strengthen grassroots organising and create campaigns that win.
Recorded at this year’s ILGA Europe Annual Conference in Vilnius, Ailbhe reflects on the challenges and strategies behind both the marriage equality victory and the 2018 abortion referendum. Her talk is filled with guidance for activists navigating today’s challenging political context, including how to build broad coalitions in order to mobilise local communities, and how to communicate in ways that shift public opinion.
This episode is designed for LGBTI organisations, grassroots groups, emerging leaders and movement builders looking for clear and real world organising knowledge. Ailbhe explains what helped Irish activists turn local conversations into national momentum and how campaigners can sustain themselves and their communities through long struggles for equality and human rights.
If you are searching for practical strategies for LGBTI organising, examples of successful equality campaigns or inspiration from one of Ireland’s most respected activists, this episode offers grounded and actionable insights you can use immediately.
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What you’ll learn in this episode
- Why coalition-building beats campaigning alone.
- How to work across profound differences without losing your principles.
- Practical ways to mobilise communities and turn solidarity into votes and action.
- Messaging and storytelling tricks that helped change hearts as well as minds.
- Tactics for anticipating and responding to organised opposition.
- How to sustain yourself, and your people, so movements last.
Why listen:
If you’re organising locally or thinking about how to scale a campaign, Ailbhe’s mix of strategy, humility and humour gives clear, concrete takeaways you can use right away. Whether you’re a seasoned campaigner or just getting started, this episode reframes what “people power” actually looks like in action.
Subscribe to The Frontline for more frontline lessons from activists and organisers around the world.
This episode is part of a series of podcasts, blogs and resources from ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in October 2025, looking at what it takes to work across differences to become a united movement for LGBTI human rights in the current political climate.
