Sir, We are astonished at the utterances of Father Maurice Dooley, who belittles and dismisses the 1995 Family Law Act which requires three months' notice of marriage to be given to the district registry office. Father Dooley heaps scorn and contempt on the new Act, which was welcomed by the Conference of Irish Bishops and, indeed, parallels the Roman Catholic requirements of obligatory pre marriage courses.
Elsewhere throughout the world, similar guidelines exist, except in Las Vegas and Reno. In the United Kingdom, state registration is recorded immediately after the church wedding service.
As for "Irish tomfoolery and stupidity" which his reverence ascribes to the new law, it is worth recalling that until the Church's introduction of the pre marriage counselling requirement, some people entered marriage unprepared and in ignorance. The State has taken on board the Church's responsible attitude and has introduced the three month notice requirement in a similar spirit. We are aware of the number of broken marriages in Ireland and hopefully, the new legislation will make for better preparation.
The consequences of not legally registering marriage could have adverse effects in relation to ownership of the family home, inheritance rights, pension rights and social welfare entitlements.
It is our understanding that under Church Law, Roman Catholics are required to obey the civil laws of a "just state", i.e. a democratically elected government. Even in the most routine, everyday transactions, we are accustomed to making appointments, booking holidays, etc. It is ludicrous that Father Dooley condones the flaunting of this basic requirement, which has long been applied to planning permission for even the most basic building construction, Surely the structuring of a marriage is of greater importance. - Yours, etc.,
Clare Labour Party, 89 O'Connell Street,
Ennis.