The Constitution was amended by a referendum in November 1995 to
	allow divorce in restricted circumstances.  The people voted to
	put the following sections into the Constitution.

	"A Court designated by law may grant a dissolution of marriage
	where, but only where, it is satisfied that:

	i.	at the date of the institution of the proceedings, the
		spouses have lived apart from one another for a period
		of, or periods amounting to, at least four years during
		the last five years,

	ii.	there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation
		between the spouses,

	iii.	such provision as the Court considers proper having
		regard to the circumstances exists or will be made
		for the spouses, any children of either or both of
		them and any other person prescribed by law, and
	
	iv.	any further conditions prescribed by law are
		complied with."

	The petition by submitted by the Anti-Divorce Campaign to the
	Supreme Court challenging the result of the referendum was
	rejected by the Court in June 1996.

	Legislation passed by the Oireachtas to regulate divorce came
	into effect in March 1997.  The legislation builds on existing
	family law.

© 2008 FAQS.ORG. All rights reserved.