No room at the Registry Office: Limerick dates are ‘booked up' to December
THE NUMBER of registered marriages in Limerick in 2020 fell by 474 compared to 2019 – there was 777 in 2019 and 303 in 2020.
Registered civil marriages also saw a big year on year decrease due to Covid from 311 in 2019 to 125 in 2020. Notification of intention to marry dropped from 714 to 553. The majority of these couples will now be seeking services in 2021 / 2022, on top of the standard annual demand.
A HSE spokesperson, who provided the figures above, said the knock on effect has impacted on the Registry Office at St Camillus’ Hospital.
“There has been an increase in the demand for ceremonies. Currently, there are ceremonies booked every week up to December 2021,” said the HSE spokesperson.
They added: “In the first four months of 2021, the number of couples who have married civilly (62) in the Limerick Registry Office already represents 50% of the total number who married civilly in 2020.”
Last year, many couples postponed their ceremonies to 2021 and 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restricted number of attendees.
“As we are still in uncertain times, some couples who had planned a big religious or secular ceremony have now opted to change their plans and opt for a smaller civil ceremony. As there is no certainty as to when big ceremonies will resume again, some couples have decided that their priority is to be married with a celebration at a later stage and their wish has been granted in the Registry Office where there is no fee payable for this ceremony.
“In Limerick, Civil Ceremonies are provided in the Registry Office on a Friday and routinely, 4-6 couples are married. Additional Health and Safety controls are in place between each ceremony to ensure adherence to the approved Covid protocol.
“In the Mid-West, the Registry Office in Nenagh resumed its civil ceremonies early in 2021 and provides ceremonies on Thursdays. Couples from Limerick city and county and County Clare have the option to marry in Nenagh on an earlier date if they choose to do so. Whilst there is no capacity to extend the service at present in Limerick, the restoration of the service in Nenagh is facilitating additional demand,” said the HSE spokesperson.
Whilst many venues have been closed to the public, some have continued to accommodate civil ceremonies since July 20, 2020 (Monday – Friday) in respect of couples who opted not to postpone their non-registry office ceremony.