Irish couples getting married later

IRISH couples are marrying later in life, while the number of civil ceremonies has quadrupled in recent years, it emerged yesterday.

The average age of grooms in 2002 was 32.5 years, compared with 30.2 years in 1996 and 28.6 years in 1990, new figures revealed.

The pattern for brides is similar with the average age increasing steadily from 26.6 years in 1990 to 30.4 years in 2002.