January 17 - First Divorce in Ireland

This Day in History: 17 January 2020

 

17 January 1997

 

23 years ago, today, the Republic of Ireland legally allowed a divorce to take place for the first time, following a referendum two years prior. This historic divorce was granted to a terminally ill man, who wished to marry his new partner, and was also a clear sign of the Catholic Church's decline of power over the Republic. Ireland is an overwhelming Catholic country, despite the fact that the Irish Constitution of 1937 forbade divorce and prohibited the state from adopting an official religion. The Church plays a large role in Irish public life, even by the standards of other Catholic countries, such as Italy, who had legalised divorce by 1970. The issue was put up by the Irish government in 1986 to a nationwide referendum, but 63.5% voted against. A law allowing legal separation was still passed in 1989.

 

However, another referendum was put forward in 1995, after the 'Rainbow Coalition' government came into power. Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa endorsed the 'no' side, but the Church decided that it would not be a sin to vote 'yes'. As a result, the campaign gained a 'yes' majority, but hardly, acquiring 50.3% compared to 49.7%. This referendum legalised divorce in cases where couples had been separated for four years, and reforms such as the 2015 same-sex marriage legalisation took place after, in inspiration of Ireland's new modern views. 2018 also saw the legalisation of abortion, and just last year, in 2019, an amendment was passed that relaxed the requirements needed to have a legal divorce.

 

Want to find out more about the first man in Ireland to be allowed a divorce? Clickhere for more information.

Or to find out more about the history of divorce in Ireland, clickhere.