Men sought to Knock on marriage bureau’s door

Knock Marriage Introductions arranged hundreds of introductions last year, resulting in 10 weddings.

The oldest ‘dating agency’ in the country has appealed for more young professional men to sign up for love.

Knock Marriage Introductions — which has facilitated almost 1,000 weddings since it was established in 1968 — issued the call on St Valentine’s Day as it released details of its 2013 match-making activities.

Its annual report shows it arranged hundreds of introductions last year which resulted in:

-10 marriages;

-three engagements;

-and 45 couples are still in ongoing relationships.

There were more than 360 written, and some 1,500 telephone enquiries which resulted in 208 people — 101 men and 107 women — forking out €150 for annual membership which leads to introductions.

A breakdown of the figures shows that of the 107 women, 72 were aged between 25 and 45; and 35 were aged between 46 and 75.

Of the 101 men, 62 were aged between 25 and 45; with 39 aged between 46 and 75.

Most of the women who sign up describe themselves as professionals looking for young professional men. But most of the men on its books are non-professional.

“It’s why we are appealing for more young professional men aged between 25 and 45 to apply to us. They’ll be spoiled for choice,” Knock Marriage Introductions director, Canon Joseph Cooney said.

“Love is an elusive thing. You never know when you’re going to strike gold. But if people are serious about this and want to get married, we’ll facilitate them.”

Knock Marriage Introductions, a branch of Catholic Action, was set up in 1968= to help men and women meet marriage partners.

It is presumed that all applicants are free to marry and are seeking a Catholic marriage.

Canon Cooney, who was appointed its director by Archbishop Michael Neary a decade ago, said with the rise of online dating agencies and speed-dating, the number of marriages it has facilitated over the years has fallen from a high of between 20-30 to a total of 10 marriages last year.

“But people tell us they have tried all the other forms of dating and they still come back to us,” Canon Cooney said.

“We take time with people. We talk to them. We have learned to be very patient with people.

“And we have learned that people are vulnerable and raw when they apply to us.

“We respect them and treat them gently. They are taking a leap of faith with us. They need care and we give them that.”

Anybody interested in signing up to the agency can fill in an application form online at www. knockmarriageintroductions.com