Karen Higgins and Thomas Friel
Karen, a primary school teacher from Firhouse in Dublin, met Thomas, a carpenter, in his native Gweedore, Co Donegal, eight years ago when she was in the area doing an adult Irish course.
The couple spent the following five years travelling between Donegal and Dublin to see each other before moving to Letterkenny in 2013.
A year later, they got engaged on a beach in Portugal and their daughter Aoibhinn was born in 2015.
On August 6th, 2016, they married in St Colmcille’s Church in Cnoc Fola, Gweedore, Co Donegal, where friend Sarah Cormican provided the music.
Aoibhinn was a flowergirl and the bridesmaids were the bride’s sister Lorna Higgins, the groom’s sister Evelyn Friel and friend Holly Murphy, who also made the cake.
Newlyweds
The best man was the groom’s cousin, Padraig Friel, and he was joined by another cousin Donal Gallagher and friend Sean McEleney who acted as groomsmen.
Karen’s parents are James and Helen and Thomas is the son of Thomas and Kitty Friel.
As Donegal and Dublin were playing the All-Ireland football quarter final in Croke Park that day, the newlyweds entered the reception at An Chuirt hotel in Gweedore with Aoibhinn on her dad’s shoulders wearing a half-Dublin, half-Donegal jersey.
Her parents then took to the floor for their first dance – after lessons from teacher Marian Sheils – to Michael Bublé's Everything.
The family of three live in Co Donegal and honeymooned in Portugal and at the Cliff House hotel in Waterford.
Photographer: Pamela Bloe Photography
