Ireland's citizens vote in a landslide to legalize gay marriage [Video]

Rory O'Neill, known by the Drag persona Panti, celebrates with yes supporters at Dublin Castle

Ireland's citizens have voted in a landslide to legalize gay marriage, electoral officials announced Saturday - a stunningly lopsided result that illustrates what Catholic leaders and rights activists alike called a "social revolution."Friday's referendum saw 62.1 percent of Irish voters say "yes" to changing the nation's constitution to define marriage as a union between two people regardless of their sex. Outside Dublin Castle, watching the results announcement in its cobblestoned courtyard, thousands of gay rights activists cheered, hugged and cried at the news.

"With today's vote, we have disclosed who we are: a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people," Prime Minister Enda Kenny proclaimed as he welcomed the outcome. Beside him, Deputy Prime Minister Joan Burton declared the victory "a magical moving moment, when the world's beating heart is in Ireland."

Ireland is the first country to approve gay marriage in a popular national vote. Nineteen other countries, including most U.S. states, have legalized the practice through their legislatures and courts.

[Watch] thousands of Irish citizens gathered at Dublin Castle and exploded with joy when it was revealed 62.1 percent of Irish voters had said "yes" to changing the nation's constitution to allow gay marriage.

Analysts credited the "yes" side with adeptly employing social media to mobilize young, first-time voters, tens of thousands of whom voted for the first time Friday. The "yes" campaign also featured moving personal stories from prominent Irish people — either coming out as gays or describing their hopes for gay children — that helped convince wavering voters to back equal marriage rights.

Both Catholic Church leaders and gay rights advocates said the result signaled a social revolution in Ireland, where only a few decades ago the authority of Catholic teaching was reinforced by voters who massively backed bans on abortion and divorce in the 1980s.