This day 20 years ago the first divorce since the times of Brehon laws was granted in the High Court in Dublin yesterday, a month ahead of divorce legislation.

The application was made under the Constitution which was amended by the 1995 divorce referendum. The Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 was then passed by the Dail but will not come into effect until February. On the 27th February 1997 the  The Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 came into affect with a disastrous start. See the below newspaper articles from the Irish Independent and the Irish Examiner. [caption id="attachment_1291" align="alignnone" width="300"] Download Irish Examiner 28.01.1997[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_1292" align="alignnone" width="158"] Download Irish Independent 28.01.1997[/caption] Discover Ireland's rich historical past with a membership to Irish Newspaper Archives.