Both Accord . . . the Catholic marriage care service . . . and the Marriage and Relationship Counselling Service (MRCS) have told the Sunday Tribune that the stress of commuting is frequently raised as an issue contributing to marital trouble.

While the number of divorce applications made in Leinster dropped by 2.5% between 2004 and 2005, the number increased dramatically in the commuter-belt areas.

In Meath, applications for divorce rose by 40%, in Wicklow they rose by 38% and in Kildare divorce applications rose by 5.5%. In contrast, during the same period, the number of divorce applications made in Dublin fell by 10%.

Eithne Kellegher of Accord . . . a service that has provided over 700 hours of counselling in Meath this year . . . said, "Time poverty is a big issue. . . it certainly is a theme that comes up."

Kellegher previously worked as a counsellor in Maynooth, Co Kildare, where, she said, the amount of time couples spent travelling to work in Dublin caused undue stress on their marriages.

"It has quite an impact on a couple's relationship. Spending three or four hours commuting puts a lot of pressure on them as a couple and as parents, " she said. "It's a case where couples are so busy with the practicalities that that's what their energy goes into and finding time with your partner is difficult."

Out of 4,126 divorce applications in 2005, 2,297 were made in Leinster, almost half the total national figure. Recent population growth in the commuter-belt area has also contributed to a rise in divorces in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow but Lisa O'Hara, a couples counsellor for MRCS, says the strain a commuting lifestyle can put on a relationship is becoming more and more noticeable.

"They have less time with each other. Stress affects their bodies, they are less likely to have sex, there is less fun in their relationship, " she told the Sunday Tribune. "I'm seeing it in my caseload at the moment."

O'Hara believes other problems can then manifest. "Because they're so tired, they're less tolerant and they end up fighting over small things. . . if they're up at six in the morning and maybe getting home at eight o'clock at night, all they want to do is veg in front of the telly, eat a bit of dinner and go to bed."