Almost 6,000 same-sex weddings have been celebrated in the State in the decade since the marriage equality referendum, new data shows.
Marking the 10th anniversary of Ireland being the first country to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, the Central Statistics Office on Wednesday published statistics on a decade of gay marriage.
On May 22nd, 2015 the electorate voted by 62 per cent in favour of same-sex marriage, on a high turnout of 61 per cent. All constituencies voted Yes except Roscommon-South Leitrim, which rejected the proposed amendment by a narrow margin.
Enabling legislation was enacted in November 2015.
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Between then and the end of last year, 5,956 same-sex marriages were celebrated – 3,178 of them involving men and 2,778 among women.
The highest number in any year was in 2016, with 1,056 couples tying the knot – 606 of them male and 450 female.
The year with the fewest was 2020, when many were probably cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That year there were 314 wedding celebrations among same-sex couples – 170 male and 144 female.
Last year, 668 same-sex marriages were registered, 325 male and 343 female.
Overall, same-sex marriages accounted for 3.3 per cent of all marriages since 2016.
The most popular months for gay weddings were July and August, the CSO finds, with Friday the most sought-after day and Sunday the least.
Civil ceremonies were the most popular form of ceremony for nearly two-thirds (63.7 per cent) of same-sex couples. Other popular choices included weddings solemnised by the Humanist Association, the Spiritualist Union of Ireland or other religious denominations.
Just over half (52.5 per cent, or 351 of 668) of same-sex marriages were civil ceremonies in 2024. The Humanist Association held 68 (10.2 per cent) of services, 72 (11 per cent) were held by the Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and 177 (26.5 per cent) by other religious denominations.
In 2016, the highest number of female same-sex ceremonies took place in Leinster (298), followed by Munster (97), Connacht (35) and Ulster (20), with similar rates in 2024.
Among grooms in 2016 there were 460 ceremonies in Leinster, 87 in Munster, 34 in Connacht and 25 in Ulster. In 2024, there were 194 male marriages in Leinster, followed by Munster (72), Connacht (35) and Ulster 24.
Last year, Friday July 19th and Friday June 21st were the most popular dates for same-sex marriages, with 10 ceremonies taking place on each of these dates.
The CSO release did not contain details on the number of divorces among same-sex couples since the legislation was enacted.
The Courts Service, when asked, said it did not keep statistics on divorce broken down by sexual orientation.
