The Supreme Court has decided that a polygamous marriage from another jurisdiction should not be regarded as valid here in Ireland. However, the Court did concede that the man’s marriage to his first wife should be regarded as valid. In a case concerning a Lebanese man with two wives who is now resident in this country, the Court said that polygamy violated the principle of equality and to “give legal recognition to such a structure would be to give legal effect to discrimination and subordination in a relationship where the principle of equality should show sway”. Nonetheless, while a man’s first marriage should be regarded as valid, the court called upon the Oireachtas to consider legislating for the fact of any subsequent wives and any rights and duties that might thereby accrue from that relationship.