The Gaeltacht in the bride’s native west Kerry was the magical setting for the winter wedding ceremony of Céitílís Ní Bheaglaoich and Colm Cooper, Killarney.
And while Kerry football legend Colm may have won five All-Irelands, four National League titles, an All-Ireland Club Championship medal with Dr Crokes, seven Kerry Senior Football Championships, and eight All-Star Awards, the most important match of his life awaited him in Séipéal na Carraige, Baile na nGall, on Saturday, December 11.
The bride, a primary teacher at Gaelscoil Aogáin in Castleisland, and groom, who was recently appointed branch manager at AIB in Kenmare, got engaged in November 2020.
Pals from both on and off the pitch featured on the wedding guest list, including the groom’s former Kerry teammates Paul Galvin and Darran O’Sullivan.
The stunning bride wore a dress sourced in Memories Bridal Boutique, Cork, and the dapper groom chose a stylish suit with a light-blue jacket.
Capturing their big day in photo and on film was Golden Moments Wedding Photography & Film (www.goldenmomentsphotography.ie, instagram.com/realgoldenmoments, facebook.com/realgoldenmoments).
A winter wonderland theme continued at the reception, which took place in the Dingle Skellig Hotel, where the bride and groom cut a three-tiered wedding cake with a cake topper featuring the words ‘Mr and Mrs Cooper’.
Earlier that day, Colm’s clubmates from Dr Crokes flanked the newlyweds as they emerged from the church, giving them a guard of honour, complete with the black and amber club colours.
Memorably, less than 24 hours after saying “I do”, Colm was to return the favour, as he was back on the sidelines at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney to help Dr Crokes storm to victory against Spa to clinch the 2020 East Kerry SFC title and the O’Donoghue Cup.
And congratulations continued to flow on social media the following day, as Colm shared a snapshot of the newlyweds on Twitter, accompanied by the words: “What a weekend”.
