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 […]

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 […]

Government proposals to move birth and death registrations online could also include a provision for the introduction of a policy where information of a death is communicated across multiple departments at the same time. The “tell us once” service, which is in place in the UK, would save families the heartache and difficulty of informing […]

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 […]

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 […]

Professional Genealogist Eileen M. ÓDúill gives excellent expert advise on how to trace your Irish roots. From post-Famine Ireland to the 1922 fire at the Four Courts, here in this article  you will find everything you need to know about locating the Irish records for your ancestors online. An often-quoted myth about Irish civil records […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A man who falsely registered himself as the father of six babies to facilitate their mothers in securing Irish passports for their children has been jailed for three years. Alan Yip (47) of Parnell Street, Dublin city, is a British citizen and therefore because he was from the European Union at that time, each of […]