SONIA McCARTNEY AND JOHN CLARKEwere married in a civil ceremony at Markree Castle in Co Sligo by registrar Aislinn Curran, who performed the ceremony in the hotel chapel. Some 140 family members and friends joined their celebration, which featured Stevie Wonder's song Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours.
Sonia, from Perrystown, Co Dublin, is the eldest of Carmel and John McCartney’s five children. She studied for a diploma in music management and production at Ballyfermot College of Further Education before travelling around Australia for a year. On her return, she chose a different career path, working in international fund services by day while studying accountancy by night at the Dublin Business School on Aungier Street. Now a qualified accountant, she works in Bank of Ireland Financial Services.
Sonia’s two brothers are following in her footsteps. The youngest, Ian, hopes to study music management and production, and Simon is studying accountancy. Her sisters Edel and Eve were bridesmaids. Edel works in Cheeverstown House as a special-needs assistant and Eve is studying for a HDip in physical education in Wales.
John grew up in Rathmines, Dublin, the youngest of Catherine and William Clarke’s three children. He has two sisters, Anne and Brid. His father William, now retired, worked in Aer Lingus and sat on the board on behalf of Aer Lingus employees. John attended Marion College, and as a cycling enthusiast he had a part-time job in a bicycle shop on the Lower Rathmines Road. Upon graduating, he worked there full time and at the age of 20, he bought it. Now called ThinkBike, it was revamped last year and has a specialised bicycle workshop, with four mechanics. His aim is to have the quickest bicycle repair facility in Dublin. Predictably, he enjoys cycling and goes on a lengthy jaunt with the ThinkBike cycling club every Sunday morning.
The couple were first introduced by a mutual friend on a night out in March 2000. They became engaged while on holiday in May 2007, when John proposed on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago. After the winter wedding they spent three weeks in South Africa, which included a safari in the Kariega Game Reserve. They are now living in Clondalkin.