Wicklow is Ireland’s same-sex marriage capital, figures reveal.
Our special investigation to mark five years since the historic referendum reveals love is blooming in the Garden of Ireland.
In the first four years of gay marriage between 2016 and 2019, Wicklow played host to 165 weddings, a higher rate than any other county at 116 per 100,000.
In total, 43% of 3,119 ceremonies in Ireland were held in Dublin.
It boasts the highest number of nuptials at 1,345 but it had a rate of 100 per 100,000.
With seven of the top 10 spots in Leinster, the east of Ireland is embracing gay marriage at a faster rate than the midlands or west.
But Fianna Fail’s Jim O’Callaghan said in time every county will say yes to same-sex unions.
He told the Irish Mirror: “The five years of marriage equality has made a very positive contribution to Irish life and has made many gay people feel fully part of their country.
“It is probably too early to identify statistical trends but hopefully same-sex marriage will become as popular an institution as marriages were before the referendum.”
Meath is the third highest for gay unions at 72 per 100,000 followed by Wexford at 67 and Kildare at 65.
Longford was the least popular spot for same-sex couples to get hitched with a marriage rate of just seven per 100,000.
Overall, gay weddings made up 4% of the total 87,317 ceremonies around the country between 2016 and 2019.
There were 1,755 marriages between two men and 1,364 unions between two women making a 56%-44% split.
The average marriage age for same-sex couples was 40 – five years older the heterosexual couples, who tied the knot at 35.
