Almost 6,000 same-sex couples married in Ireland 10 years on from historic referendum

On the tenth anniversary of the Marriage Equality referendum in Ireland, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed that nearly 6,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot over the past decade. 

The now historic referendum took place on May 22 in 2015 where 1.2 million people, or just over 62% of the population, voted in favour of amending the Constitution so that marriages, regardless of the sex of the partners, would be recognised.

The constituency of Roscommon-South Leitrim was the only one to vote no. 

This made Ireland the first country in the world to introduce same-sex marriages by popular vote, with the first marriages taking place in November 2015.

Describing the day in question, then Taoiseach Enda Kenny said, “Today Ireland made history. The first country in the world to vote for equal marriage. I welcome that and thank all those who voted. In the privacy of the ballot box they made a public statement. With today’s yes vote we have disclosed who we are –  generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people.

"Yes to inclusion. Yes to generosity. Yes to love and yes to equal marriage," he added. 

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Seán O’Connor, Statistician in the Life Events and Demography Division, spoke on the data, saying, “The CSO has collected data on same-sex marriages as part of our Vital Statistics releases since that historic vote. Between November 2015 and 2024, we can see that 5,956 same-sex marriages were celebrated in Ireland. Of these, 3,178 involved male marriages and 2,778 were female marriages.

"Overall, same-sex marriages accounted for 3.3% of total marriages annually since 2016. July and August were the most in demand months for same-sex marriages from 2016 to 2024, while Friday led the way as the most sought-after day to tie the knot. Civil ceremonies were the most popular form of ceremony for nearly two-thirds (63.7%) of same-sex couples," he concluded. 

Following the change in legislation in 2015, there were 1,056 same-sex marriages registered the following year in 2016. All types of marriage ceremonies were affected by COVID-19 restrictions, and in 2020, 314 same-sex marriages were registered. In 2024, there were 668 same-sex marriages registered, 325 males and 343 females.

In 2016, civil marriages were the most popular choice among males with 490 such ceremonies taking place. A further 60 ceremonies were held by the Humanist Association, 36 by the Spiritualist Union of Ireland and 20 by other religious denominations.

It was similar for females in 2016, with 360 couples opting for civil ceremonies, 37 ceremonies for both the Humanist Association and the Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and 16 for other religious denominations.

Just over half (52.5%) or 351 out of 668 same-sex marriages were civil ceremonies in 2024. The Humanist Association held 68 (10.2%) of services, 72 (10.8%) were held by the Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and 177 (26.5%) by other religious denominations.