North’s gay couples beat the rush to tie the knot

GAY couples in Northern Ireland will be among the first in the United Kingdom to formally tie the knot today.

Andre Graham, 44, and Seamus Sweeney, 33, are expected to be among the first to register their union after applying for a licence to "marry" in their Belfast bar.

While the Civil Partnership Act enables same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship, granting them new rights in areas such as employment, pension and inheritance, the partnerships are not officially regarded as gay marriages.