There has been a permanent Muslim
presence in Ireland since the 1950s. However, census statistics show the
dramatic growth in the community in recent times. Islam is now one of the
fastest growing religions in Ireland. While 3,873 Muslims were recorded in 1991
census, this number jumped to 19,147 in 2002 and 32,539 in 2006. The latest
figures from April 2011 showed 49,204 followers of Islam, making it the third
largest religion in Ireland. Similar trends have been evidenced in other
jurisdictions across the common law world. One issue which has attracted
considerable attention in these various states is the extent to which Muslim
marriages are securing legal recognition. Given the differences between
traditional Muslim marriage practice and the statutory formalities required for
entry into a legally recognised marriage in many common law jurisdictions,
question-marks appear to hang over the legal status of an important number of
Muslim marriages undertaken in the Western World. This paper questions to what
extent similar issues are liable to arise in Ireland and highlights the
ambiguity of various aspects of the Irish regime.