Laois sees number of Catholic marriages fall with more opting for civil ceremonies

The number of couples opting to marry in the Catholic Church dropped by 30 per cent in Laois last year with more choosing to have civil ceremonies, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 

There were 320 marriages registered in Laois in 2023 which is down from 334 in 2022. 

151 of the marriages in the county last year were Catholic compared to 217 Catholic marriages in 2022. 

There were 13 Church of Ireland marriages registered last year, up from 5 in 2022. Other religious denominations accounted for 64 registered marriages in Laois in 2023, up from 38 in 2022. 

There were 59 civil marriages last year, up from 31 the previous year and 16 marriages registered with The Humanist Association, up from 15 in 2022. 

There were 17 Spiritualist Union of Ireland marriages registered in 2023, which fell from 28 in 2022. 

There was no change in the number of same-sex marriages in Laois last year with four female same-sex marriages registered and two male. 

Nationally there were 21,159 marriages registered in Ireland last year, some 646 were same-sex marriages — up 4.5% from 618 in 2022.

Friday was the most popular day to get married, while August was the most popular month to wed for opposite sex couples, whereas July was the most popular month for same-sex couples to marry in 2023.