Marriage Banns circa 1850s-60s

[LinJM]

Hi,
As an American researcher I am a bit confused about what I am seeing in church "marriage banns" entries in the 1850-60s period  (families are in Leitrim). After the couple are usually two names; are they "witnesses"/ sponsors as on a marriage record? Or are they parents? (Sometimes I see two male names, sometimes two people with a same surname, sometimes people with surnames different from those of the couple)  What can I assume about them, if anything?

Thanks for help on this!

[Elwyn Soutter]

For a marriage to be valid there had to be 2 witnesses. They could be anyone, friends, parents, siblings etc. They didn’t have to be adult, though churches preferred it if you were.

[Maiden Stone]

Would you provide a link or a transcription, or at least tell us who was intending to marry + date, church, place and religious denomination?  It's difficult to offer an opinion without knowing what you're looking at.
Are you sure it's banns you're looking at or the actual marriage in the marriage register?
Btw knowing religious denomination is crucial as the marriage law for Catholics was different to marriage law for Protestants in Ireland at the time.

[hallmark]

the greater number of the Irish population, of all faiths, announced their impending marriage by Banns.

The Banns were publicly proclaimed or 'read' in church on three successive Sundays in the couple's home parish.

[hallmark]

https://www.irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/article/how-to-avoid-an-illicit-marriage-marriage-banns

[Maiden Stone]

What Lin described sounds more like marriage allegations & bonds for a marriage by licence rather than banns.

[LinJM]

Thanks for taking this question on.  I'm looking at some entries in the image set titled, “Cloonclare Parish Marriages 1850-1889," where the word banns is written in the margin; while the marriages seems to have a man and woman as the witnesses, the banns sometimes have two men. I was wondering if they can assumed to be immediate family members, i.e., fathers, involved in bringing about the marriage rather than just family and or friends being "honored" with the role. These are RC parish marriages in Leitrim.

[Elwyn Soutter]

Thanks for taking this question on.  I'm looking at some entries in the image set titled, “Cloonclare Parish Marriages 1850-1889," where the word banns is written in the margin; while the marriages seems to have a man and woman as the witnesses, the banns sometimes have two men. I was wondering if they can assumed to be immediate family members, i.e., fathers, involved in bringing about the marriage rather than just family and or friends being "honored" with the role. These are RC parish marriages in Leitrim.

You should not assume they are fathers. It could be a brother or cousin or even just a friend with the same surname.

[Sinann]

Is this one of the pages you mean
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634837#page/7/mode/1up
Or this page
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634837#page/9/mode/1up