Civil ceremonies overtake Catholic weddings
CSO figures show that 329 marriages were registered in Carlow during 2024
CIVIL marriage ceremonies have overtaken Catholic weddings for the first time in Carlow, according to the latest marriage statistics by the CSO (Central Statistics Office).
The data reveals that 329 marriages were registered in Carlow during 2024, with civil ceremonies accounting for 35% of all weddings, while Catholic ceremonies fell to 28% – marking a historic shift in local wedding traditions.
For the first time, a larger number of Carlow couples tying the knot did do by civil ceremony, with 115 civil weddings taking place in 2024, compared with 92 Catholic ceremonies and 83 from other religious denominations. The figure may also reflect the number of couples marrying for a second time.
This is a big change from a decade ago, when Catholic weddings dominated the county’s marriage landscape. In 2014, Catholic ceremonies accounted for nearly 60% of all Carlow weddings (206 out of 345 marriages), while civil ceremonies represented just 24% (84 weddings).
The total number of marriages in Carlow decreased slightly from 331 in 2023 to 329 in 2024, representing a modest 0.6% decline. This mirrors the national trend, though at a smaller rate, as marriages across Ireland fell by 3.8% during the same period.
Looking at the decade-long trend, Carlow has seen a 4.6% decrease in marriages since 2014, when 345 weddings were recorded. This compares favourably with the national decline of 7.7% over the same period.
While traditional religious ceremonies still account for the majority of Carlow weddings, the gap has narrowed significantly: 53.2% of weddings are Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and other denominations while 46.8% are non-religious ceremonies (including civil, Humanist and Spiritualist).
Additionally, the “other religious denominations” category has seen substantial growth, increasing from just five ceremonies in 2014 to 76 in 2024, now representing 23.1% of all weddings in the county.
The data also shows how Carlow’s marriage numbers have recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a dramatic drop to just 148 marriages in 2020. The current figure of 329 represents a return to more typical pre-pandemic levels, though still below the peak of 372 marriages recorded in 2015.
Nationwide, 20,348 marriages were registered in Ireland in 2024, including 668 same-sex marriages. This represents a 3.8% decrease from the 21,159 unions in 2023 and a 7.7% fall since 2014.
Other interesting facts about Irish marriages in 2024 include August being the most popular month to tie the knot, unchanged since 2023. Just over one in eight marriages were held in August while only 3.2% took place in January, the least popular month to wed in 2024.
Friday and Saturday were the most popular days of the week to get married in 2024 with 62.3% of marriages taking place on these days. The least popular day was Sunday, when only 3.5% said ‘I do’.
And a decade on, Irish couples are saying ‘I do’ noticeably later in life. Analysis of CSO data shows that brides are now on average 2.9 years older than in 2014 while grooms are 2.7 years older over the same span. The average age is now 35.9 years for brides and 37.7 years for grooms.
