‘Three in 20 marriages failed in 2004’
It is the first time since divorce was legalised in 1997 that the number has exceeded 3,000.
Based on official marriage statistics, it means Ireland has a divorce rate of around 16%, although it is still low compared to other EU countries.
A total of 3,347 divorces were granted by the courts in 2004 a 12.7% increase on the previous year, according to the annual report by the Courts Service, published yesterday.
Almost 1,200 people also filed for judicial separation.
While the figures might suggest a rising marriage breakdown rate in Ireland, the number of new applications for divorce, judicial separation and nullity has remained largely static over the past few years and fell by almost 1% last year.
The report also reveals that one-in-seven children coming before the courts end up in detention.
Almost 1,600 children under 18 years of age appeared before the Children's Court last year, which resulted in 222 juveniles being sent to a detention centre.
Judges also sent 65 children forward to a higher court for trial due to the serious nature of the offences. Most were aged 17 or over, while four youths were less than 14 years old.
Overall, the Courts Service handled more than 770,000 legal matters last year, with 127 judges sitting in 180 court venues.
Courts Service chief executive PJ Fitzpatrick said waiting times for a court hearing in most divisions of the service fell last year.
Although the workload of the Supreme Court and High Court continued to grow last year, the number of murder and rape cases coming before the Central Criminal Court has declined.
The numbers of new cases for the most serious criminal offences fell to their lowest level since 1997, with 28 murder cases and 40 rape and serious sexual assault cases.
Over one-third of the 59 murder trials last year resulted in a statutory life sentence while 24 individuals were found guilty of manslaughter. Of these, nine received sentences in excess of 10 years, with a further 12 given sentences of between five and 10 years. Less than one-in-eight people charged with murder was acquitted.
Half of all people charged with rape were found guilty of the crime or a related offence while one-in-four was acquitted.
Two people were given life sentences for rape, while eight were handed sentences of more than 10 years. Most individuals convicted of rape are given five to 10-year terms.
