Aoife & Karl

I was on the rocky road to Dublin next for Aoife & Karl's wedding in Blanchardstown. Everything went well until we tried to get to the church, only to find that the route was blocked by a Garda open day which had closed the road, leading to big tailbacks around the area. A far cry from one wedding I had last year where we got a high-speed Garda escort back to the reception. The extra wait might not have done much for Karl's nerves, but it didn't impact on the day, as the sun shone in the grounds of the Carlton Hotel after the ceremony.

Catherine & Paddy

The inclement weather continued on Saturday for Catherine & Paddy's wedding in Athlone. There was a monsoon during the ceremony and the skies were dark all day. During a brief break in the rain, we made a little sortie out onto the course at The Glasson Country House & Golf Club. It lasted about thirty seconds before the heavens opened again. It hardly mattered, as everyone was happy inside at the champagne reception, but once again, patience had its reward as we got a few minutes between the downpours before dinner.

Laura & Aidan

Catching up on a few weddings that should have been blogged over the past few weeks, so again I'll spare you the commentary and just get on with posting the pictures. First up are Laura & Aidan who got married in Darane, with their reception in The Abbey Hotel in Roscommon. Our planned stop at the Castle was interrupted by a downpour before we got started, but luckily the clouds cleared back at the Hotel and we got a chance to have a stroll through The Abbey's beautiful grounds.

The Chapel Sessions - Declan O'Rourke

Though I still have some weddings to post from the past couple of weeks, I'm skipping the queue with something different. Aoife McCormack (introducing the show below) & Phoebe Campbell are promoting a new series of gigs - The Chapel Sessions - in St George's Chapel, Carrick-On-Shannon, which kicked off on Saturday night with Declan O'Rourke. It's a beautiful, intimate venue, bedecked in candles for the evening, and holding around 150 people. Donnacha from Late Nite Radio was acting as Lighting Engineer on the night and created an eerie atmospheric effect with two blue spotlights on the floor at 45 degrees, casting giant shadows on the side walls of the church. Beautiful for the audience, tricky for photographers! The gig itself was excellent, Declan clearly enjoying the intimacy and the unique setting. Hopefully it'll be the first of many.