Parliamentary Question: Registered Solemnisers

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Question to the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection (Ms. Joan Burton, TD)

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of registered solemnisers here categorised by county and religious/secular group, currently and in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. – Jerry Buttimer.

For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 8th July, 2014.

REPLY

Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004 which provides for the law relating to marriages was commenced in 2007.  Prior to 2007 religious bodies were responsible for the registration of their own solemnisers. The tables below reflect this as figures prior to 2008 are not available.

Table 1 contains details, broken down by county, of religious solemnisers. The ‘other’ figure in Table 1 refers to solemnisers whose address is outside the State and Northern Ireland.

Table 2 contains details, broken down by county, of secular solemnisers. Secular marriage was introduced by the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012 which was commenced in 2013.
Table 1 – Number of religious solemnisers by county

County 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Antrim 88 116 109 109 118 119 116
Armagh 47 65 68 72 73 74 80
Carlow 49 50 53 57 58 57 59
Cavan 95 98 101 100 101 105 104
Clare 111 121 121 126 126 124 127
Cork 510 533 548 559 570 578 592
Derry 88 91 97 99 99 106 107
Donegal 166 180 181 190 194 202 204
Down 64 99 101 102 103 110 113
Dublin 1238 1296 1375 1455 1540 1613 1678
Fermanagh 62 60 62 65 67 66 70
Galway 279 292 300 301 312 321 336
Kerry 130 141 139 147 150 150 152
Kildare 149 156 162 170 180 195 205
Kilkenny 92 97 99 100 103 104 109
Laois 48 53 55 54 58 58 61
Leitrim 39 38 41 42 43 44 45
Limerick 245 249 252 258 262 267 272
Longford 40 43 44 46 43 43 45
Louth 117 129 135 137 144 146 157
Mayo 146 153 150 153 157 157 164
Meath 162 179 190 202 221 227 235
Monaghan 62 68 70 70 70 73 69
Offaly 52 52 53 53 53 56 58
Roscommon 66 69 73 79 82 86 84
Sligo 83 89 97 98 97 100 102
Tipperary 188 198 199 202 204 208 215
Tyrone 107 103 104 103 102 106 110
Waterford 99 99 104 107 109 109 90
Westmeath 78 82 83 86 84 89 92
Wexford 133 145 146 151 158 167 168
Wicklow 150 165 174 177 174 178 190
Other 66 135 124 135 154 150 164
Total 5049 5444 5610 5805 6009 6188 6373

 
Table 2 – Number of secular solemnisers by county

County 2014
Clare 1
Cork 2
Dublin 6
Galway 1
Limerick 1
Meath 1
Wicklow 2
Total 14