In late 2005, Kevin Sharkey announced his intention to take the Irish State to the European Court of Human Rights in order to force the recognition of same-sex partnerships, specifically civil partnerships. Sharkey cited personal reasons for this, decrying the fact that if he were to marry his long-term male partner Ade Antigha in Spain (where the two were living at the time), the marriage would not be recognised by Irish law. Ireland subsequently legalised civil partnerships (in 2011) and same-sex marriage (in 2015).