Ireland lagging behind in the protection of surviving spouses on intestacy

December 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Succession Act 1965 – the primary legislation governing inheritance in Ireland. When introduced, the 1965 Act was said to have brought about a ‘revolutionary change’ to Irish succession law. Key provisions of the Act sought to protect surviving spouses against disinheritance and introduced a new scheme for the distribution of an intestate estate. However, although these provisions have received little attention from Irish law reformers to date, it is increasingly clear that Ireland lags well behind other jurisdictions in its protection of surviving spouses, especially in cases of intestacy.