Figures released to RTÉ News by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection show that 82 marriages were registered with a ceremony date since the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland.
The marriages took place during the strictest Covid-19 restrictions time-frame between 28 March and midnight on 7 June, the day before we entered phase two in the easing of those restrictions.
By way of comparison, 3,949 marriages took place between 28 March and 5 June in 2019. Father John Bracken, co-Parish Priest in Dundrum, Dublin, solemnised two of the 82 marriages. "The couples checked with the registrar to see if it was possible and then I checked with the diocese," Fr Bracken told RTÉ News.