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A Wedding in Ireland

A Wedding in Ireland

There are places I remember….as St. Patrick’s Day arrives, I’m filled with longing and haunting memories of Ireland. Especially I remember a windswept beautiful area of Western Ireland. Here, deep in County Mayo, lies an ancient Abbey from the 13th century. The name of that Abbey is Ballintubber. And what a perfect place it would be for a wedding!

The beautiful church is often a place to celebrate Mass for pilgrimage groups.

The Abbey has seen many ‘celebrity weddings’ including the marriage of actor Pierce Brosnan to Keely Shaye Smith and Shane Filan (lead singer of Westlife) to Gillian Walsh. But….you don’t have to be a celebrity to get married here. Catholic couples from all over the world dream of getting married in this beautiful and historical church. And you can too, with a bit of planning.

The setting is ideal: an ancient stone church, a simple yet beautiful interior, almost too good to be true. You can get the sense of history of Catholicism in Ireland in this special place.

Close by is the well where St. Patrick baptized the first converts in the area, and a stone next to the well still bears the impression of his knee.

A glance through the columns of the Cloister at Ballintubber you will see Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s Holy Mountain. It is here that Saint Patrick fasted and prayed for 40 days. How romantic is that?

The lively village of Westport is just 12 miles away and offers many hotels along with lively pubs.

And there are several hotels nearby, some very elegant and some quite simple, that are experienced in accommodating wedding parties. The village of Westport is also convenient, being about 12 miles away.

Just keep in mind that because of its popularity, you’ll need to get your paperwork started as soon as possible.

 

 

 

The beautiful church is often a place to celebrate Mass for pilgrimage groups.
The beautiful church is often a place to celebrate Mass for pilgrimage groups.

The village of Westport with Croagh Patrick in the background.
The village of Westport with Croagh Patrick in the background.

 

For more about Ballintubber Abbey click here.

 

 

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