Spousal maintenance in Ireland: past, present and future

While spousal maintenance laws have come under the spotlight in many common law jurisdictions over the past two decades in particular, there has been little discussion of the topic in academic, legislative or judicial discourse in Ireland. In this context, this article provides a unique, up-to-date analysis of Irish maintenance laws, highlighting the pressing need for reform. It explores the historical context of the governing Irish laws before drawing on available empirical research and the 2021 decision of the Court of Appeal in N.O v. P.Q. to highlight the problems which continue to beset the scheme. Having contextualised the key issues which future reform in this area must seek to address, the article then turns to analyse recent proposals for a more formulaic approach to spousal maintenance in Ireland and considers the likelihood of such reform materialising in the medium term.