Marital trend reports - Prenuptial accords must be recognised

TWO reports on Irish marital trends, one issued yesterday and the other last month, illustrate fundamentally opposite faces of a rapidly changing society.

Putting the spotlight on how the population is being transformed, the second volume of Census 2006 profiles the key changes in our towns and cities. Besides showing that people between the ages of 25 and 44 are the fastest-growing section of society, it identifies Galway and Maynooth as the “singles” capitals of Ireland.

Undoubtedly, most interest will be focused on the finding of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showing that marriage breakdown is on the increase. The number of divorced people in the State rose by a staggering 69.8% between 2002 and 2006, making divorce Ireland’s fastest-growing marital status category.