A by-product of the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has been a rise in the number of mixed marriages between Catholics and Protestants.

It is estimated that about one in 10 of all marriages in Northern Ireland are now mixed.

This followed a sharp decrease during the Troubles, when the fear of violence and intimidation and the resulting polarisation of communities, prevented many cross-community relationships.

In the last 10 years, when social life has returned to a certain normality, more and more young people are meeting who probably wouldn’t have met before.

In the past, mixed marriages had been easier for couples who could afford to buy a new home and so to live in a more integrated, “safer” area.

Research has shown that in Northern Ireland 95% of all social housing estates are lived in mainly by people of one religion.

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Tags: marriage, mixed marriages, Northern Ireland

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