mixed marriage (possible elopement) in late 19th century Cork

[flyingkipper]

I'd be grateful for any general information/advice on the following: if a Protestant girl and Catholic boy married in Ireland in the 1890's, would they have been more likely to marry in the Church of Ireland or in a Catholic church, or both? Also, if they were marrying without the approval of either family, am I right in assuming both would have to be over 21 but would then be able to marry in either church? Would they have had to have banns read, or could they have married fairly speedily by licence? I've been able to find information about 'Scotch marriages' and read about the Yelverton case with great interest (what a story!) but I'm not sure whether the Irish Catholic marriage ceremony would still have been invalid for a Protestant at the turn of the century. Has anyone come across records of cases like this? I'd welcome any examples. Thank you.

[Sinann]

The marriage cert will say what church they married in.
If the marriage was registered the cert should free to view here https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp

[dathai]

If the marriage took place in a Catholic church the wife (Protestant) would have to convert or get baptised a Catholic.
I have one 1860 in Bray the wife was English and Protestant i found her getting baptised as an 22yr old adult a few weeks before the marriage which was brilliant for me as i was able to get her mothers name from the baptism.

[flyingkipper]

Thank you, dathai, that's really useful 

[Sinann]

Did you look for the marriage cert?

[flyingkipper]

Hi Sinann,
The marriage didn't take place, so I'm just trying to find out whether it could have done so. If I could find other examples, it would give me some idea of how straightforward it would have been (or not!). If as dathai suggests, the bride would have had to convert to Catholicism in advance, there might not have been time to do so - or to read Banns, of course. I wondered whether some sort of civil marriage by licence would have been possible in the 1890's, or whether it would have been 'church or nothing'!

[Elwyn Soutter]

They could have married in a registry office. That option had existed in Ireland from 1845 onwards, and many mixed marriage couples used it to overcome the difficulties of choosing between churches. In addition, the Church of Ireland would normally marry anyone of any denomination (being for a long time the “state” church).  The normal rules of residence would apply, but so long as they met that requirement they could marry by banns or by licence as they preferred. Banns were slower but cheaper.

[Wexflyer]

If the marriage took place in a Catholic church the wife (Protestant) would have to convert or get baptised a Catholic.

While I am sure that that was the preferred outcome, I doubt that what you describe was a universal requirement. Too many counter-examples where the Protestant party stayed Protestant.

[Maiden Stone]

If the marriage took place in a Catholic church the wife (Protestant) would have to convert or get baptised a Catholic.

While I am sure that that was the preferred outcome, I doubt that what you describe was a universal requirement. Too many counter-examples where the Protestant party stayed Protestant.

R.C. Church rules on marriage have changed a few times over last 200 years. "Mixed marriages" were discouraged but not forbidden. However, pressure to convert may have come from the priest, the Catholic bride/groom or their family. A person may have converted to please their future spouse.