The number of people getting married in a civil ceremony has increased - and accounted for almost 30 per cent of all marriages last year.
The Central Statistics Office shows a surge of civil ceremonies in the Dublin area, as opposed to the West of Ireland.
The figures are a backdrop to a warning from the Association of Catholic Priests that the Church in Ireland needs to "be bold" to address the chronic priest shortage.
They say allowing married men to become priests, and opening up the Deaconate to women will help solve the problem.
Bernie Jameson reports
