Security tricks worthy of a James Bond movie are being employed by the "minders" of James Bond star Pierce Brosnan who will be wed tomorrow at Ballintubber Abbey, Co Mayo.
The wedding breakfast, for some 100 guests, many of them celebrities, will be held afterwards in Ashford Castle. The windows of the 800-year-old abbey will be sound-proofed to keep the ceremony private. Only staff and accredited personnel at Ashford Castle are being granted access to the castle grounds.
The 70 hotel employees have signed confidentiality agreements to ensure details of the nuptials are not leaked to the media.
From today, the northern reaches of Lough Corrib will be patrolled by security teams in boats to prevent photographers from spying on the castle grounds where a marquee has been erected.
One local said yesterday: "In the history of the castle many fine marquees have been erected in the grounds but this beats them all for opulence."
A canvas tunnel will connect the castle with the marquee, where a stage has been erected to accommodate one of the couple's favourite groups - The Chieftains.
Mgr John Fleming, a friend of 49year-old Brosnan, will officiate at the wedding ceremony. Mgr Fleming, from Limerick, is Rector of the Irish College in Rome.
Brosnan met Mgr Fleming while in Rome filming the Bond movie, The World is Not Enough. Last year, Mr Brosnan and Ms Keely Shaye-Smith, a journalist, had to postpone their wedding after his 17-year-old son, Sean, from his first marriage, sustained serious injuries in a car accident.
It is believed the couple have signed a substantial deal with Hello! magazine for exclusive photo coverage of the wedding.