1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: a show that believes it's never too late to make history. 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: I'm Gabelusier and today we're looking at the day when 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: Ireland became the last country in Europe to legalize divorce. 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: The day was January seventeenth, the High Court of Ireland 7 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: granted the country's first divorce. It was a notable and 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: controversial moment for multiple reasons. For starters, roughly of Ireland's 9 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: people were members of the Catholic Church, which was staunchly 10 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: opposed to divorce and remarriage. Although Ireland has no official religion, 11 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: many of the Church's doctrines were enshrined in the nation's 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty seven Constitution. The Church's views on divorce orse 13 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: were no exception, and as a result, the practice was 14 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: banned nationwide. Marriage has always been viewed as a stabilizing 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: force in human society, and all the more so in 16 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: newly formed countries where so much of daily life remains 17 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: in flux. That was certainly the case in the early 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties when the Irish Free State was established at 19 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: the end of the Irish Civil War. Once the dust 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: had settled, Northern Ireland adopted the UK's parliamentary system of divorce, 21 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: while the Irish Free State made no provision for divorce whatsoever. 22 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: The newly formed government considered the topic from all angles, 23 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: but ultimately bowed to the opinion of the Irish Catholic hierarchy, 24 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: which held the divorce should not be permitted in the 25 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: new state. That stance was later carried forward with the 26 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: adoption of the Irish Constitution in nineteen thirty seven, the 27 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: document that formally established the Republic of Ireland. Despite several 28 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: attempts at divorce law reform, worm the practice remained banned 29 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: for the next six decades, a testament to the immense 30 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: sway the Catholic Church held over Irish public life. Even 31 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: as other predominantly Catholic countries such as Italy gradually legalized divorce, 32 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: Ireland held firm. In fact, when divorce law reform was 33 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: put on the ballot in nineteen eighty six, it failed spectacularly, 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: with more than sixty three percent of the country voting 35 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: against it. By the early nineteen nineties, Ireland was the 36 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: last country in Europe where divorce was still illegal, and 37 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: while that title was a badge of honor for much 38 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: of the population, there was a growing portion of the 39 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: public who didn't wear it so proudly. In nineteen ninety five, 40 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: the question of legalizing divorce was once again put to 41 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: the people, and that time the majority voted to allow it. 42 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: It was still, however, an incredibly slim majority. The final 43 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: count showed that fifty point three percent of voters were 44 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: in favor of allowing divorce in Ireland, while forty nine 45 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: point seven percent were against it, a difference of just 46 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: over nine thousand votes. It was a narrow win, to 47 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: be sure, but oh win all the same, and even 48 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: though the referendum only legalized divorce for couples who had 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: been separated for at least four years, it was still 50 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: viewed as a crucial victory in the fight for separation 51 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: of church and state. As one pro divorce campaigner put it, quote, 52 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: we're bringing Ireland into the twentieth century at the dawn 53 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: of the one. The divorce Bill was written into law 54 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: the following year and was due to take effect in 55 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: late February of If you're keeping track, that means Ireland's 56 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: first divorce was actually granted a month before divorce was 57 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: technically legal. Jumping the gun like that created even more controversy, 58 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: but the court at least gave a convincing defense of 59 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: its decision. According to Justice Henry Barron, the constitutional amendment 60 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: that had passed two years earlier already gave him the 61 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: power to grant divorce. The legislation spelled out the process 62 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: in more detail and provided a specific law to point to, 63 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: but it was still within the court's jurisdiction to get 64 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: the ball rolling In the meantime, that said, Justice Baron 65 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: may have had another reason for hearing the case early, namely, 66 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,239 Speaker 1: the man who requested it was dying. In a private hearing, 67 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: an unnamed man with a terminal illness applied to have 68 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: his current marriage dissolved. He and his wife had been 69 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: separated for several years, and during that time apart, he 70 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: had begun a second relationship. Now his dying wish was 71 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: to marry his new partner, and given his prognosis, the 72 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: faster the better. The man had already made provision for 73 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: his family, and though his wife didn't want to get divorced, 74 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: she didn't contest the application either. In light of that, 75 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,679 Speaker 1: and with the Constitution on his side, Justice Baron granted 76 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: Ireland's first divorce on January seventeenth, nineteen ninety seven. At 77 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: the time, there were about eighty thousand people in Ireland 78 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: waiting to get divorced, a consequence of never having had 79 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: the option before. Then. Those who had voted no on 80 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: the bill warned that the floodgates had been opened and 81 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: that the number of divorces would only rise from there. However, 82 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: after twenty six years, that still hasn't proven true. Ireland 83 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: has continued to have the lowest divorce rate in Europe 84 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: and one of the lowest in the entire world. It's 85 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: true there was a sizeable increase in divorce applications after 86 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: the waiting time was reduced from four years to two 87 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: years in twenty twenty, but compared to the rest of 88 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: the world, Ireland's divorce rate is still strikingly low, with 89 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: just point six divorces per one thousand people as of 90 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: twenty two. Legalizing divorce didn't lead to the collapse of 91 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: Irish society as many had feared, and as a result, 92 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: the stigma surrounding it has largely faded as well. It's 93 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: better late than never, I'm gay, bluesier and hopefully you 94 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 95 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you want to keep up with the show, 96 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 97 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: t d i HC Show, and if you have any 98 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, feel free to send them my way 99 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,679 Speaker 1: at this day at I heart media dot com. Thanks 100 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: as always to Chandler Mayze for producing the show, and 101 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back here 102 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class.