Surekha & John

Friday's wedding in Markree Castle promised to be a colourful affair, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Groom John is a London-based Fashion Designer, who has been making quite a name for himself in the rag trade, working alongside lots of well-known names, including The Clothes Show's Jeff Banks. He's a Sligo boy though, and he brought his beautiful bride Surekha back to his native county to wed her. Surekha is an East End girl, second-generation Indian, which added to the colour and excitement of the event. The bridesmaids and ladies in Surekha's family were resplendent in their Saris. There was even one guest, Gerry, who was dressed in traditional African ceremonial robes, (from Sierra Leone), for the first part of the day, before changing into a dashing tartan kilt for the evening revelries.

It was standing-room only as the guests packed into the Chapel in Markree, a lovely, ornate, but very dark space. The Ceremony began with the Civil declarations, and carried on with a combination of traditional Hindu and Gaelic elements, which made for a very unique celebration of marriage. There were garlands, fire, music, and recitals from Yeats.

Though the rain had fallen steadily all day, luck was with me once again, as the downpour stopped just before dinner, allowing us to get outside for a wander through the Castle gardens. The speeches were very entertaining - Surekha's brother Kerit was nervous over dinner, but delivered his with aplomb, and then the ghost of Eamonn Andrews appeared in the form of Best Man Declan, who walked us through an hilarious Episode of This Is Your Life. John seemed genuinely delighted to be reunited with his childhood Teddy Bear.

The music throughout the day was outstanding - there was a classical quartet during the ceremony, Sligo's own Tucan played in the evening - but the one who stole the show was John's nephew, Killian Filan. Only 16, he took to the stage during the ceremony and blew everyone away with his performance. Great voice and the poise and confidence to match. His uncle Shane was also present; there were no signs of a Westlife medley by the time I was leaving, but that may well have happened later.