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Concern surrogacy laws may lead to ‘coercion’ of intended parents

Advocates for surrogacy in Ireland say they are concerned proposed new laws, which would ban compensation of surrogates abroad, could risk creating ‘hidden payments’ that could be used to coerce intended parents. The legislative proposals, which are due before Cabinet in the coming weeks, will seek to regulate both domestic and international surrogacy arrangements involving […]

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What the landlords did with their massive fortunes

The fortunes of Irish landlords peaked in the opening decade of the 18th century. Fuelled by economic prosperity due to the opening up of the Americas, and the massive growth in the demand for land from a rapidly expanding population, the few thousand landlords who monopolised ownership prospered. One of the results was a building […]

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Homebirth experiences more positive than hospital births, study finds

Experiences of home birth are “overwhelmingly more positive than hospital births”, new Irish research shows. The study, carried out by Trinity College Dublin, also found that in hospital, midwifery-led care scored significantly higher than consultant care. The online survey of 141 participants is the first study to compare the experiences of those who have given […]

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Only Two in five couples who got married last year had a Catholic ceremony

TWO IN FIVE couples who got married last year opted for a Catholic ceremony, figures from the Central Statistics Office show. There were 23,173 marriages in 2022 compared with 17,217 in 2021, an increase of 35%. This increase is reflective of the lifting of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and the resulting impact on marriage numbers in […]

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Revealed: Where the Irish passport lies in 2023 global power rankings

The rankings for the world’s most powerful passport have been revealed and Ireland’s is officially ranked as the tied-sixth best passport to have. An Irish passport will entitle a traveler to access 187 different countries or territories without having to have a visa. This is on par with France, Portugal and the UK, according to […]

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Divorce parties are on the rise but some still think they have failed

We have heard of hen parties, stag parties, and even communion and confirmation dos are all the rage but when Catherine Kiveney introduced a new section to her business, catering for those getting a divorce, people had to look twice. Running Divorce Party dot ie since 2011 Catherine and her team have worked on putting […]

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Thousands of adoption records not released by ‘unrealistic’ deadline

The Adoption Authority of Ireland and the child and family agency Tusla have confirmed that thousands of adopted people who requested their records under the new Birth Information and Tracing Bill did not receive them by yesterday’s statutory deadline. The agencies say that out of more than 6,000 requests, just 65 have been concluded, in […]

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