Orlaith and Niall's wedding china: one service, painted for one day. Monaleen Church, Limerick, then the Woodlands of Adare.
256days to go
The service is laid for Friday 23 April 2027. Ceremony at one o'clock in Monaleen Church, Limerick. Dinner, dancing and the rest of it at the Woodlands Hotel and Spa, Adare.
And 00 hours, 00 minutes, 00 seconds. Not that anyone is counting.
The good china only comes out when it matters. It is out.
four plates, four scenes, painted in the order it happened. Turn each one over for the story on the back.
She is Limerick to the bone. He is proudly Derry. Two counties, one long road between them, and both crowds meeting on the bridge for the day itself.
Friday 23 April 2027: Monaleen Church at one o'clock, the Woodlands of Adare after
Everything after the ceremony is the working plan. Final times arrive with the invites in January 2027.
Day two, and out comes the casual china. The Treehouse at the Woodlands, Saturday 24 April, from 4 in the afternoon.
Everyone is welcome, and we mean everyone. Comfortable clothes, food that suits the day after, music at a merciful volume, and the full post-match analysis of the night before. If you're anywhere near Adare, come.
No dress code. The teacup is the dress code.
a service is only complete with every piece on the shelf
Her side of the dresser
His side of the dresser
Full names for Sarah Jane and Laura go to the engraver shortly. The best man will be announced once he has been fired, glazed and told.
the good photos, up where the visitors can see them
turn the biggest plate over: the backstamp is the reply card
Lovely. When the real service opens with the invites in January, it will be exactly this quick, and your answer will actually be kept. Your plate is spoken for.
You'll be genuinely missed. There will be photographs and stories, and you will feature kindly in both.
Replies by 1 March 2027, to be confirmed on the invites.
A working preview only: nothing is saved yet. The real reply card opens with the invites.
No form? Tell any of the wedding party. The old ways still work.
getting to Limerick, and where to sleep when you get there
M1 to Dublin, M7 the rest of the way. About four hours from Belfast, closer to five from Derry. Half the convoy travels down on the Thursday night: join it.
Shannon is the one you want, thirty minutes from Adare. Cork is about an hour and three quarters. Dublin is a two and a half hour run down the motorway.
The church is in Castletroy, on the east side of Limerick city. From Adare, leave a solid forty minutes. The ceremony starts at one, and the bride has a Rolls Royce booked: she will not be late.
Adare, the scene of it all
Rooms at the venue go first. Ring the hotel and say you're with the wedding.
Adare village, five minutes
Old-school comfort in the prettiest village in Ireland, allegedly. Book early.
twenty five minutes, taxis findable
The Strand, the Clayton, the George: plenty of beds and a livelier Sunday.
for the flush relations
Ten minutes up the road, if the lottery numbers land that week.
Plenty at the Woodlands. Church parking notes follow with the invites. Car-pool if ye can.
Local numbers come with the invites, and the hotel desk will always sort the end of the night.
Ireland in April: all four seasons before the starter. Everything that matters is indoors. Bring a coat for the photos.
wash by hand, answer honestly
Your very best. Colour is encouraged, spring is the theme if you need one. Two asks only: nothing white unless you are Orlaith, and no club jerseys. Yes, both teams. We see ye.
Really. The Treehouse at the Woodlands from 4pm, casual as you like. Travelling guests especially: don't sit in a hotel room while there's a second day going on downstairs.
Your invite will name everyone included. Check it when it lands in the new year, and if you're not sure, just ask us.
We'll confirm on the invites. Either way, Black Diamond Photography and MDA Productions have every moment covered, so you can safely watch this one with your own eyes.
Your presence is honestly the present: most of ye are crossing the country for us. If you'd like to do more, there will be a card box on the day, and that's the last we'll say about it.
The 1st of March 2027, to be confirmed on the invites. Reply early and forget about it: the form takes half a minute.
Painted, not fired. Every plate on this page was drawn for one wedding and will never be made again. Which is roughly the point.