Number of marriages on the rise

06/10/2005 - 15:25:54
The number of marriages in Ireland is continuing to rise, new Central Statistics Office data showed today.

A total of 2,909 couples wed between January and March this year, a rise of 233 or 8.5% on the same period in 2004.

The CSO Vital Statistics figures for the first quarter also proved the average age of Irish mothers is rising.

The average age of all mothers was 30.9 years, compared to 30.7 last year.

First-time mums were aged 28.6 years as against 28.3 in 2004.

“The average age of mothers has risen by almost a year in the last decade and has been rising steadily since the early 1980s,” CSO statistician Joseph Keating said.

The oldest mothers were in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in Dublin, with an average age of 32.7 years while the youngest were in Cork City, at 29.1 years.

There were 15,334 births registered between January and March, a decrease of 265.

Just over one-third of births were outside marriage.

The report also showed that 7,352 deaths were registered, 521 less than 2004.

There were 2,818 (38%) deaths due to heart disease and stroke, 1,906 (26%) deaths due to cancer, and 1,247 (17%) due to respiratory diseases.