Divorce increase double the rise in marriages

THE increase in divorces last year outnumbered the rise in marriages by two to one.

Records show an increase of 3% in the number of couples who tied the knot but a 6% increase in the numbers who untied their bonds. Romantic Ireland isn’t dead and gone, however, as the number of actual marriages, 22,544, was still way above the number of divorces granted, 3,684.

More than twice as many people opted to end their marriage by divorce rather than judicial separation, as 4,109 applications for divorce were made compared to 1,741 for judicial separation. Just 60 applied to annul their marriage and 28 annulments were granted.