Wedding Kilronan Castle

I had the privilege of shooting Mike Denver and Liz Gannon's recent wedding in Keadue Village Co.Roscommon followed by a reception in Kilronan Castle nearby.
I was delighted when I received the call from Mike regarding his big day with Liz…..I have got to know both of them in recent years and their great people to be around. 

Liz was a treat to call to the morning of the wedding, music playing away on her iPhone, incense burning in the corner of the room and totally relaxed as her hair and make up were being touched up. She was totally aware of what was happening and enjoying every moment of it....quite special to witness really! Indeed, Liz even allowed me to “steal” her wedding dreess for a few moments and take it to another room where we hung it from a chandelier….thanks Liz!







After Liz's preparations, we headed off to the church to catch up with Mike and his groomsmen. Mike is used to being in front of the camera and is always a treat to work with so his shots can be taken fairly swiftly. I was lucky to have Natalie Greer working with me and she was able to run off the incidental shots inside the church while I was capturing Liz's arrival.





Fr Brian Darcy was the chief celebrant for the ceremony and the relaxed atmosphere that was dominant during Liz’s preparations in the morning continued throughout the ceremony. I was surprised at the amount of Mike’s fans (some who had made long journeys) that made the journey to Keadue Village to wish Mike and Liz well. One thing that didn’t surprise me however was the time that Mike & Liz gave to each fan who wanted photos taken with the couple at the church, ensuring every one went home happy with a photo.


(One of my favorite "moment captures" this year. The Bridesmaids have made their entrance at the start of the ceremony, and normally this can be an anxious moment for the Bride as she's about to make her own entrance.....Liz however emanates serenity and absorbs the whole occasion...I love it!)




(Comedian Conal Gallen gets a smile out of both Mike and Fr Brian Darcy during the ceremony)




After the family portraits were taken in the church grounds, we headed to a lovely Pier about a mile from the church that lent itself to some beautiful bridal portraits. Mike’s best man Graham was in a lively mood by the pier….a lot livelier than he was for his own wedding day which I was lucky enough to capture last year….he ensured we were “standing on shaky ground” while taking some photos on the jetty! Thanks to Rosanna, Laura, Dawn, Graham, Seán John and of course the trooper Jack who were great to work with for the Bridal Portraits.






We headed back to Kilronan Castle….a majestic spot…plenty of photo opportunities for a photographer! As if the grounds of the hotel didn’t offer up enough opportunities, we also had a spectacular fireworks display before guests were entertained by the music of the Late Late Show House Band, The Camembert Quartet. As excellent as they were, nobody filled the floor like Mike did when he went up and sang a few songs.









Without doubt, this was one of the most enjoyable weddings that I have had the pleasure of working at. As a result of VIP magazine doing a 10 page feature on the wedding, I probably asked more of Liz and Mike with regards to the photography than I have any other couple, and on each occasion their response to my requests were so positive and enthusiastic that it was simply a treat to be working with them. Thanks so much lads!



Make Up by Caroline Coyne, Video by Complete Wedding Videos and flowers by Calla Flower Design

Wedding Meadow Court Hotel Loughrea Co Galway

I had the pleasure of shooting Brenda & Brendan's recent wedding in Kilreekil Loughrea followed by a reception in The Meadowcourt Hotel (also in Loughrea) Co Galway.

Although I had spoken over the phone with Brenda on a couple of occasions, we didn't meet face to face until the week of the wedding when we met up in The Meadow Court for a "chin wag" regarding her big day. I enjoyed our chat and was left with the impression that Brenda was a relaxed bride who would enjoy her wedding day as much as possible.....the type of days that I like to be working as a photographer. 

Thankfully, when I met Brenda the following Saturday for her wedding, the weather was a lot better than it had been during our first meet up.....it always happens to nice people!!
Young Rian kept me occupied with some story telling on the morning of the wedding, and was pretty proud of his new Fireman Sam school bag. We got some lovely portraits in the home before I headed off to O'Briens pub in Kilreekil where Brenda's husband to be was relaxing. Like most men on a Saturday, there was sport on the TV and Brendan and best man Enda were studying it..... almost oblivious to the fact that a wedding was only a couple of minutes away.

There Church in Kilreekil is full of character, a beautiful place to get married.

After the ceremony, we made a quick stop by the lake in Loughrea and grabbed some shots. The weather started to get a bit darker and colder and thankfully it stayed dry long enough for us to get a few shots before we made our way back to the hotel.

The Meadow Court is a beautiful hotel with staff that go the extra mile to ensure that Brides and Grooms have a wedding day to remember. I thoroughly enjoyed this wedding......thanks Brenda and Brendan for letting me part of your special day.

A playful Rian

Brenda's laments her last final moments at home before departing for the church

Brendan does the "man thing" before the ceremony by having a drink in the pub while watching some sport!

John (Brenda's brother) prepares to give her away.

A relaxed ceremony

Beautiful Brenda

Brenda, Brendan, Enda and Mary enjoy their own company before returning to the hotel after some bridal portraits.

Enda recalls some humorous stories about Brendan

Wedding Ballintubber Abbey Co Mayo

Aideen and kevin were recently married in the beautiful Ballintubber Abbey, Co.Mayo, followed by a reception in the excellent Castlecourt Hotel, Westport.
Ballintubber has hosted many celebrity weddings and it's easy to see why it's a popular location.....it's quite simply enchanting.
The old stone wall's, magnificent stained glass windows (which are emphasized when the sun shines as it did on this wedding day) and the beautiful atmosphere created by the hundreds of candles burning are all wonderful features of Ballintubber Abbey.
Aideen and Kevin's wedding was a fun day and below is a snippet of their special day....best of luck to the both of you guys!

Wedding Sheraton Hotel Athlone

I first met Jacinta and Brian almost exactly a year to the day prior to their wedding. They came to the studio for a chat regarding their wedding in Ferbane Co.Offaly with the reception to take place in the Sheraton Hotel Athlone Co Westmeath.
I was delighted when they contacted me shortly after that to confirm me for their special day as I found them really easy to talk to and knew that we could work well together on the day of the wedding.
As is the norm for me, I travelled to Boora Co Offaly the week before the wedding to view possible locations for Bridal Portraits that Jacinta & Brian had recommended. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty awful the day I was in Boora and I was anxious to visit the hotel to see what our possibilities would be there if the weather was similar on wedding day.
Nigel (Jacinta & Brian's wedding co-oridinator) was present and gave me a tour of the hotel and all the possible locations for taking images. I was very grateful for his time (he looked quite busy when I called) and very impressed with his attention to detail regarding the wedding.

The wedding day turned out to be a beautiful day with bursts of sunshine and very little wind. Jacinta's preparations took place in her brother's home not far from the church and it was a pleasure to be there that morning....a very welcoming jovial home....everyone in good spirits looking to get the most out of the day. Jacinta was a lady to deal with, very accommodating with photos and really enjoying her day as was Brian when I caught up with him at the church. From a photography point of view, I'm able to relax and work in a more productive manner when you have a couple that are just living in the moment of the day, enjoying themselves and trusting those that they've employed....and that's what made this wedding a treat to be part of.

Thanks so much to Bridemaids Anne Marie, Gillian (all the way from down under) and Etna as well as the groomsmen Ian Pascal and Tom. Rory and Isabelle were troopers in their big rolls also!

Jacinta and Brian, I hope we cross paths sometime in the near future, I have very good memories of your wedding day, it was definitely one of the most relaxed and enjoyful ones that I've done, thank you!