Inspiration for your outdoor space from Irish homes
Inspiration for your outdoor space from Irish homes

Megan Burns

This Rathfarnham house has been turned into a bright, contemporary space
This Rathfarnham house has been turned into a bright, contemporary space

Megan Burns

Party Planning: The female-led businesses at the top of the events game
Party Planning: The female-led businesses at the top of the events game

Ciara Elliot

A sheltered patio area with incredible views is the crown jewel of this Waterford home
A sheltered patio area with incredible views is the crown jewel of this Waterford home

Sarah Finnan

Swapping my TV for a projector was the best decision: here’s what to know if you’re considering one
Swapping my TV for a projector was the best decision: here’s what to know if...

Megan Burns

The award-winning Irish cocktail bar shaking things up on an international level
The award-winning Irish cocktail bar shaking things up on an international level

James Gabriel Martin

Sofie Rooney of Chimac shares her life in food
Sofie Rooney of Chimac shares her life in food

Sarah Gill

This Limerick home has been updated to suit busy family life
This Limerick home has been updated to suit busy family life

Megan Burns

This Art Deco Donnybrook house has been adapted for multi-generational living
This Art Deco Donnybrook house has been adapted for multi-generational living

Megan Burns

‘Father’s Day, to me, is a lot like being single on Valentine’s Day’
‘Father’s Day, to me, is a lot like being single on Valentine’s Day’

Sarah Gill

Image / Editorial

Babies & Marriage in Ireland


By IMAGE
07th Nov 2014
Babies & Marriage in Ireland

wedding rings on notebook

The Central Statistic Office have released some interesting facts and figures that give us a very real sense of the contemporary Irish experience, how our baby making habits of changed, how we tie the knot in the 21st century and lots more.

First up, it seems we can’t get enough of naming our offspring Jack and Emily, as these are the two most popular names for boys and girls for the last three years in a row. What to take from that? If you want your kid to stand out from the crowd, stay well away. Opt for something like Moses, or Briar Rose (that’s what Rachel Bilson’s just named her baby girl) or Blue Ivy, like the ‘slebs do.

In other baby news, we’ve learned that we’re waiting a lot longer to get pregnant. Now it’s more common to have babies in our early thirties, and the number of teenage pregnancies has nosedived (good news, of course) from 2402 in 2008 to 1218 in 2013. Furthermore, the baby boom is taking a dip, with only 68930 births recorded last year as compared with 72225 from the previous year.

Weddings wise, it’s unsurprising to learn that Catholic weddings have taken quite the hit over the last few years. Between 2004 and last year, traditional Catholic weddings have dropped from 76% of the marrying population to 62.5. That, we imagine, will continue to fall. Now there’s 1 in 3 of us who will make it official with a civil ceremony, compared with 1 in 5 back in 2004. And in just the same way we’re holding off on babies, we’re also waiting on average 5 years more to tie the knot than they would have done two decades ago. Again, unsurprisingly, the average bride age is now 32.8 while the male age is 34.9, suggesting that women more often than not are coupling up with men who are a couple of years older. Maturity levels and all that.

Will these trends continue? Will we continue on our paths of further education, long travelling stints and more that inevitably put our plans for settling down on hold?

For more stats on how the Irish are living in this day and age, check out CSO.ie

@CarolineForan