Our Wedding Story: Love bloomed after 2009 Kildare - Dublin clash in Croke Park

Niamh Concannon and Michael Skelton

Niamh, a primary school teacher in Gaelscoil Nás na Ríogh in Naas, met Mick, from Kill in Co Kildare, in Quinn’s pub in Drumcondra after the 2009 Leinster Final between Kildare and Dublin.

“We met on a Saturday and – this is hotly disputed by Mick, who says it took 10 days – but we were going out four days later,” laughs Niamh, who plays senior camogie for Kildare and her local club, Celbridge GAA.

From when they got engaged in 2015, “it was a no-brainer to get married in Dingle to remember my mam”. Niamh’s late mother Fidelma grew up in Dick Mack’s pub which was her father’s – and is now managed by Niamh’s cousin Finn. Niamh was the third generation of her family to stay in Dick Mack’s on her wedding eve, get ready there the next morning and walk out the door to get married in St Mary’s church – her grandmother did it, as did her mother for her marriage to Niamh’s father Kevin on September 12th, 1976.

Niamh’s wedding and engagement bands were made from joining together both her grandmother and mother’s wedding bands.

The ceremony, in English and as Gaeilge, was celebrated by Fr Pat O’Brien – a close friend of the groom’s parents, Carmel and Noel – who had blessed Niamh and her Kildare camogie teammates before their junior final victory against Laois in 2013. During the mass, friends Judy and Fergus sang and were accompanied by Aisling and Clar on tin whistle and flute. All the wedding flowers were by Lorcan Burke of Absolutely Fabulous Flowers in Celbridge and transported to Kerry in loads by several friends.

From the church, the newlyweds led their 240 guests back across the road to the pub and during a break from torrential downpours, went down to Binn Bán beach for photographs.

At the reception in the Dingle Skellig Hotel, with views over the peninsula, Niamh and Mick had their first dance to a rendition of Michael Buble’s Everything by The Suite.

“My uncle Ronald MacDonnell, my mam’s brother, and aunt Sandra were a huge help during the planning. With my camogie and Mick’s rugby, the last time we were in Dingle before arriving for the wedding two days beforehand was just after we got engaged.”

Honeymoon plans were disrupted slightly due to the couple’s dedication to their respective sports.

“We were supposed to fly to Rome for the first part of our honeymoon the following Saturday,” explains Niamh, “but Mick got drafted in to play a match with his club Naas after one player got injured and another couldn’t play so we skipped the whole Rome part, went to Berlin for five days and were back for the next match!”

Photograph: Adrian O’Neill Photography

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