The amendment was narrowly approved by 50.23 percent of the voters — a 9,118-ballot margin out of 1.6 million cast.

Fears that divorce would lead to the end of family life in Ireland have proven unfounded, according to ‘One Family’, the organisation that supports people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating.

Reflecting on the anniversary of the introduction of divorce legislation in Ireland in 1997, a spokesperson for ‘One Family’ said the passing of the constitutional referendum on divorce almost 20 years ago was a groundbreaking acknowledgment of the reality that families in Ireland exist in many forms and that marriage cannot always be forever.