"We just think it's a really important thing that we don't want to share until we're married, " said Von Mading, from Dublin. "It means we live a much freer life really, without the worries of pregnancy or STIs and it will make it all the more fun when we're married. It is very difficult at times, and we have a lot of desire for each other, but it's a strong commitment we have and I think it shows the level of love we have for each other."

At a time when over one-third of Irish teenagers are becoming sexually active before the age of 17, and more and more family planning groups are expressing concern at the rising rates of STIs among young people, Von Mading's pledge seems almost unique.

"I've seen what it's like for my friends having sex when they're young and really, sometimes the results can be devastating, " he told the Sunday Tribune. "I don't think sex is something that should be casual. It's a very special thing between two people and I'm not sure that enough people realise that until it's too late."

Let's Leave It Till Later Leaving sex until later was an integral part of the National Youth Health Programme's conference on young people and sexual health in Ireland last week.

According to Jo Adams, former director of the National Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in the UK, there is increasing confusion among young people about when they are ready to have sex.

"We really need to put a strong emphasis on sex education that isn't too biological, " said Adams. "Young people need to learn about feelings and relationships, the right to say no, contraception and STIs. Research has shown that the earlier young people are given this education, the later they will have sex and the more well-adjusted they will be."

So how is Ireland doing in terms of sex education? Not so good, according to some of the country's leading sexual health groups.

"In general, the school curriculum is too packed and sex education is getting squeezed out, " said Niall Behan of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA). "Teenagers today are lucky to get a two-hour session of sex education, ever. And that is apparent in the high levels of misinformation that both young people and adults still display."

In the past decade, chlamydia rates in Ireland have risen by a staggering 2000%, while other STIs such as genital warts and urethritis have also risen considerably. Young people are rarely taught how to apply condoms properly and there is still no national strategy to promote safer sex, education and services, according to the IFPA.

Sex Education According to the Department of Education, all recognised primary and postprimary schools are required to offer Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) as part of the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum.

In theory, from junior infants to sixth class, pupils are taught about taking care of their body, safety and protection, self-esteem, puberty and sexual intercourse. At second-level, students are taught about the reproductive system, family planning, sexual orientation and STIs, among other things.

Schools must work closely with parents regarding the implementation of the programme and, more significantly according to the department, "each school will ensure that teaching about human reproduction and new life will be informed by its religious and moral ethos".

"RSE is a fairly good programme, but it is fatally flawed, " said the IFPA's Behan. "The vast majority of schools in Ireland are Catholic, and Catholic schools don't go into some of the issues that are an important part of the curriculum. Nor is it implemented properly . . . there are no guidelines about how long should be given over to it. A lot of the time, teenagers are getting sex education too late, when some of the class are already sexually active."

Deirdre Seery of the Sexual Health Centre in Cork agrees. "Some schools have brilliant work put into the RSE programme; others have none, " she said. "As a result, a lot of young people simply don't have accurate information."

The Sexual Health Centre runs an education programme around Cork and Kerry, visiting schools to give talks on sexual health and contraception. "There is a growing number of schools taking part, but every year there are the same schools that don't want us talking to their pupils about contraception, " said Seery.

According to Fr Dan O'Connor, a spokesman for the Catholic Church on sex education at primary level, RSE is welcomed by Catholic schools and implemented in accordance with a school's ethos as well as that of the pupils' parents. "The vast majority of schools have included RSE, but where it's not implemented, it's because of the parents, " he said. "There are small pockets of parents in the country who don't want sex education taught in schools."

At senior cycle, religion textbooks, such as Moral Questions by John McKenna, are still on the curriculum for 5th and 6th year students. This book emphasises the use of the temperature method, the cervical mucus method and the symptom-thermal method as contraception.

While it lists methods of artificial contraception, it states the church's position clearly: "Artificial contraception is contrary to God's design for marriage and harmful to married love."

It also states the church's position on homosexuality: "Homosexual acts are objectively and gravely immoral." A report issued last week found that homophobic bullying is rife in Irish schools and identified the Catholic Church as a significant contributor to homophobic attitudes.

"I would be amazed if there are three schools in the country with a contraceptive kit currently in stock, " said the IFPA's Behan. "The average school provides hurley helmets so their kids won't bang their heads. Why won't they provide detailed information on contraception so they can protect their health in other ways?"

Jo Adams quotes a young girl who became sexually active at a young age and later regretted it. "'I should have, like, saved it, '" the girl said. 'I would like to be able to say that I was 16 and that it was nice'."