VOWS:PAMELA O'LEARY and Killian Whooley, who met when they were both students at University College Cork, were married in the community hall in Ballydehob, Co Cork, on August 15th by Pierce de Courcey, from the Irish Humanist Association. The local summer festival happened to be on at the same time. Guests were encouraged to wear bright colours, and the dress code was strictly "anti-black-tie" (no ties and no black). Music was provided by their friends and included an eclectic mix of folk, punk, rock and 1990s tunes.
Pam is originally from Blackpool in Cork city, where her parents, Donie and Ann O’Leary, had a pub called the Village Gate for many years. She grew up surrounded by people and celebrations, which perhaps inspired her early career in event management and what she describes as the DIY nature of their wedding. Pam graduated from UCC in 1997 with a BA, and then received an MA in communications from DCU. After spending years working in event management in Dublin, Sydney and Cork, she retrained as a guidance counsellor at UCC and now works in Nagle Community College in Cork.
Killian is originally from Ballincollig, Co Cork, where his parents, Dan and Anita, settled in the early 1970s. Anita is originally from Beaumont in Cork and Dan grew up near Ballydehob, thus much of Killian’s childhood was spent in west Cork.
After graduating from UCC in 1997, Killian moved to Dublin to study journalism and communications at Griffith College, before freelancing for a number of years and working as a reporter with Sydney's Irish Echo.He moved into the IT business on his return to Ireland in 2001, and worked in sales for Apple, before he and Pam headed off to travel the world for a year in 2007. Since their return, Killian has been working with VMware in Cork.
The couple met in UCC in 1996 and decided to get married while in Buenos Aires during their year-long trip.
Highlights of their wedding day included taking part in the wheelbarrow races and turnip-throwing competition, which were part of the Ballydehob Summer Festival celebrations, all of which which was quite spontaneous and unplanned. “Alas, we came last,” Pam remembers, “but when we walked back down the village after the race it seemed that the whole village had come out to cheer us on and it was a very special moment.”
The wedding involved family, friends and locals. Barry Tyner, who is an artisan caterer, provided the food for the occasion, including roast Gubeen pig on a spit with locally sourced salads and side dishes, and a mobile cafe served crepes and coffee for dessert.
Everything was handmade, from place settings, candleholders, menus, lanterns, chair covers, favours and candles. They wanted a wedding that had a relaxed and colourful festival vibe and guests got into the spirit by renting pedalos on the waterfront after the ceremony and participating in the village festivities.
The couple spent their honeymoon in Oviedo in northern Spain and also spent a few days in a winery in Laguardia in La Rioja, before going to Barcelona. They have recently moved to a home at Lovers’ Walk in Montenotte, Cork.
- We'd love to hear about your recent or soon-to-happen wedding celebrations. Please email us at vows@irishtimes.com
