Two days ago, Cepta and myself were the proudest parents in the world as we witnessed our eldest son Shane marry the lovely Michelle Quinn in the picturesque Glassan Lakehouse on the shores of Lough Derg.
It was a day that we had long dreamed off and will always treasure, a gathering of the clan and of loyal friends to both Shane and Michelle, many of whom that they have known from their school days.
It was one of those all-too-rare occasions when we can invite brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and close friends to come together under one roof to share something that is really beautiful, joyful and personal.
Shane is a wonderful son- solid, focused, modest, hardworking, honest and very handsome (from his mother's genes!) who has given so much comfort and love to Cepta (his anchor throughout his life), his younger brother Daíre and to myself in more ways than he will ever ever know.
To welcome Michelle into our family was something special. Her family are the salt of the earth, oozing charm, music, sport and good humour. She and Shane are so in love, are two sides of the same coin and complement each other in every way. We wish them a long, happy, prosperous and fruitful relationship together.
There was so much about the wedding that reminded me of our own wedding of 40 years ago. The same mix of family and friends that formed the guest list, the physical setting of a hotel on a waterfront, the same food menu selection, the taking of photos by the guests (today it is the digital phone, in the 1980s it was the Kodak Instamatic camera), the groom and groomsmen wearing black, the bride white, and the best men being fine young outstanding lads with beards! Amazingly the music played in Glassan contained many of the classic tracks that were danced to in 1984!
Finally and most importantly the grooms on both occasions were marrying beautiful farmer’s daughters!!
But there were differences. The female element is rightly much more to the forefront. The first wedding speech was given by Bernie Quinn, mother of the bride. The celebrant was a woman and the marriage ceremony was secular with Celtic overtones, something that would have been unheard off when I was young. Whilst the majority of the guests were Catholic, the sins of the clergy has lost the church so much credibility amongst the population especially the youth. So not surprisingly Shane and Michelle decided what was once the traditional Irish religious wedding was not for them.
A quirky and welcome divergence from our time was the fact that the bedrooms contained turn-tables complete with records (‘retro’ is back!).
I was delegated and had the honour of giving the speech on behalf of Shane and clan. I tried to ensure that I gave respect to all present, to get the right balance between being witty and serious, to give due recognition to our national heritage including the Irish language whilst embracing the new frontiers of the global village. I hope that I succeeded to some degree.
Along with Cepta's niece Helena, her cousin and confidante Ciara (who started the wedding proceedings by lighting one of many candles) with her family, her close friend Catherine and husband Declan whom we known for 40 years, it was touching too to have her sisters Rena and Áine present as I remember them as graceful bridesmaids at our own wedding all those years ago.
Along with Cepta's niece Helena, her cousin and confidante Ciara (who started the wedding proceedings by lighting one of many candles) with her family, it was touching too to have her sisters Rena and Áine present as I remember them as graceful bridesmaids at our own wedding all those years ago.
Finally I want to thank my own siblings for being there- my dependable brother Michael and his two sons Pierce and Ethan from Carrickmacross; my gorgeous sister Teresa Cullinan, her hardworking husband Seamus Cullinan and their grown-up children Shauna, James and Erin from Derry; my super intelligent brother Peter and his daughter Chelsie from Oxford. It meant a lot too that my dearest aunts Frances Sheridan and Brigie with their husbands Brian and Seamus from Offaly were there also so that the connection for Shane to my dearly departed dad’s family would be kept alive and nurtured.
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