Eat
Why not sit down together and share a meal for two? Split the cooking and the clearing up, or treat yourselves to a takeaway or a table at your local restaurant. Take a moment to savour the sights, smells and flavours of a good meal together.
National Marriage Week Ireland supports married couples, and those preparing for marriage, right across the country.
Support for your journey together
The Marriage Course
IACP
Family.ie
Marriage Council
Retrouvaille Ireland
Marriage Encounter
Accord
Nazareth Family Institute
Our partner organisations
Explore the care, encouragement and practical support offered by our partners.
The Marriage Course
IACP
Family.ie
Marriage Council
Retrouvaille Ireland
Marriage Encounter
Accord
Nazareth Family Institute
Partner websites open in a new tab. Find the right support for you.
National Marriage Week Ireland
Every marriage deserves a little care.
One week a year to slow down, reconnect, and invest in the relationship you promised to look after. A strong marriage rarely happens by accident. It happens on purpose.
"Love devoid of understanding, although it can bring comfort and solace, can never heal. All behaviour is motivated. All behaviour makes sense."
L. J. Crabb
A welcome video from Alan Morris will be available here soon.
Three simple habits
Eat. Talk. Play.
This Marriage Week, we're asking couples to make time for three simple things. None of them cost much. All of them matter.
Talk
When was the last time you sat down and really talked, not about day-to-day tasks, but about each other? What's motivating you? What's dragging you down? What are your hopes and dreams for your future together? Make time this week just to talk.
Play
Make time to do something together that you both enjoy. It could be as simple as a walk, a film, or an evening in your local. Or something a little more adventurous, if paragliding or a bungee jump is more your thing.
The research
What the research tells us about marriage
Research has linked a strong, healthy marriage with the following outcomes:
Longer lives
More likely to live longer and to be physically healthier.
Happier
More likely to be mentally healthier, and to report greater happiness.
Faster recovery
Quicker to recover from illness, and more likely to take care of themselves and avoid risky behaviour.
Restoration
Marriages can be restored
Tikkun is a Hebrew word meaning healing, repair, completion and transformation. Disconnection can lead back to reconnection. Change is difficult and challenging, but it's part of life. Restoring a relationship so that it feels refreshed and revitalised takes courage, trust and vulnerability, and it's worth the investment.
Read more about RestorationTry this: Me. Us. You.
Draw two circles that overlap in the middle. On the outer edges, write what each of you does individually. In the overlap, write what you do together. It might surprise you how the balance has shifted.
Me
Us
You
Commitment
Love is worth fighting for
"Love has an immense ability to help heal the devastating wounds that life sometimes deals us. Love also enhances our sense of connection to the wider world."
We live in the drama of connection and disconnection with one another. Turning to each other for emotional support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Conflict is normal, and can be an opportunity for growth.