There were 3,864 applications to the Circuit Court for divorce and 1,238 applications for a judicial separation, the Irish Examiner reports.

The new figures do not reflect any impact of the divorce referendum as the resulting reforms were not introduced until December 2019.

There were also 20 applications for a “nullity” and 31 applications for a underage marriage exemption in 2018.

The vast majority of divorce settlements in 2018 (3,174) included “extinguishing succession rights”. Nearly half (1,869) included a pension adjustment order, and smaller numbers included custody or access orders (1,365) or a periodic payment to a child (1,208).

A spokesperson for the Courts Service said: “Like all our courts, family law courts are not just busy, they also reflect what is going on throughout society – where the country and people are at.”