What you say is all true but what is equally true is that Irish Rail are acting as agents of clear discrimination.
In my view the fact that it is the department of Social Welfare who are insisting on the application of this law does not excuse Irish Rail - they have instructed their staff to watch out for elderly gay couples so they can charge them full price when they insist on no such thing for heterosexual pensioners. I find that really offensive
I have written to Irish Rail telling them I am boycotting them. Hundreds (probably thousands) of gay commuters use Irish Rail. Irish Rail should understand there will be financial consequences for applying the law regardless of who wrote the law (and for choosing to instruct their staff to specifically watch out for elderly gay couples which they ARE doing)
To change the discriminatory legislation may take some years. In the meantime Irish Rail can choose to ignore this clearly discriminatory legislation.
If they choose not to ignore it then that is their choice. And it is the choice for gay and other commuters to express their disgust to Irish Rail (as well as the minister for social welfare)
The email for Irish Rail is
info@irishrail.ie
The email for the minister for Social Welfare is
info@welfare.ie (or
mary.hanafin@oireachtas.ie)