Dip in Galway marriages during recession

There was a collapse in the numbers of people marrying in Galway City once the recession hit, new figures reveal.

During the ‘good times, in the mid-2000s, there were on average about 500 marriages registered in the city every year.

But as uncertainty over the future spread when the economy collapsed, so too did the numbers of marriages registered.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures released this week show that there were 524 marriages in 2004, 347 in 2005, 510 in 2006 and 447 in 2007.

However, as the economy fell off a cliff in 2008, the numbers of marriages registered in the city plummeted to just 179, a reduction of 268 or 150%.

That was the lowest number in years but it has recovered since – last year there were some 256 marriages registered in the city, a slight dip on the 265.

The CSO records that the average age of the grooms who married in the city last year was 34, and the average age of brides was 32.