Commission chair on familiar ground in Cork to discuss referendums

THE chair of the Electoral Commission found herself on home ground during her visit to the Ballyphehane Day Centre on Friday.

Ms Justice Marie Baker was in Cork to talk about the two Constitutional referendums, informally referred to as the family and care amendments, which will be held on Friday, March 8.

Both referendums propose to change the text of Article 41 of the Constitution, with the first referendum concerning the concept of family, and the second proposing the deletion of an existing section and the insertion of new text providing recognition for care provided by family to each other.

It was a bitterly cold morning, with reports of snow from around the county, but it was cosy and warm inside the Ballyphehane Day Centre, as 10 local women discussed the referendums with Ms Justice Baker.

The judge, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2019, was born in Wicklow but spent much of her childhood in Cork, so she was on home ground in Ballyphehane, at one point chatting with locals about a shared love of the Lough.

Engagement

Speaking to The Echo after the discussion, Ms Justice Baker said she felt there was a lot of engagement as the referendums drew closer.

“You’re always worried in a referendum that people won’t come out to vote, but this is a very important part of our Constitution, and I hope people see that it does matter, and actually, the connection has been very positive,” she said.

Rita Varian, originally from Kerryhall Road and living now on Joe Murphy Road, said she had found it “quite informative”, adding that her feeling was that children should always be at the heart of family law.

Ms Varian’s sister-in-law, Maura Kerrigan, who lives by the Lough but is originally from Fair Hill, said she intended to be advised by Ms Varian.

Neither woman would say how they intended to vote, but Ms Varian said she needed to educate herself further before the referendum.

Leaving the Ballyphehane locals to their lunch, Ms Justice Baker headed to the English Market,to speak with Friday shoppers.

For more information about the referendums and proposed changes to the Constitution, see https://www.electoralcommission.ie/