Registration of marriages was made compulsory in Ireland from 1845 for non-Catholic marriages. Roman Catholic marriages were registered from 1864. From that date to the present day there is an index for each year. From 1878 the index is divided into quarters within each year. At the end of each year is a section for late registrations.

An index entry will give the first name(s) and surname of each person separately. You will not be able to discover the spouse from the index alone. In addition the registration district is recorded and a reference number.

A typical marriage certificate will record:

Date and place of marriage
Names of the bride and groom
Ages or “full age” if adult at the time (normally over 21) or “minor”
Marital status of the couple
Occupations
Residences at time of marriage
Fathers’ names
Fathers’ occupations
Two witnesses

If you wish to request a search of the marriage index and / or receive details from the certificate please go to our BMD Requests page.