The bride wore red – and so did the groom.
In fact they were dressed in identical fashion, both in sports jerseys and shorts, as they stood at the altar and exchanged vows during a brief but memorable ceremony.
As love stories go, this one was extra special.
Gerry and Olive Daly from Co Galway made the long trek to Kerry to participate in this year’s Ring of Kerry charity cycle and to celebrate their silver wedding jubilee in the process.
Picture: Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.
All other pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
And, to make the event extra special, they arranged to renew their wedding vows in the beautiful St Michael’s Church in Sneem where PP Fr Liam O’Brien did the honours.
Luckily for Gerry and Olive, the 4,500 people that accompanied them on the journey were cyclists as opposed to wedding guests as the 31st annual charity cycle zipped from Killarney to Killorglin on to Caherciveen and Waterville, Coomakista, Derrynane, Sneem and Kenmare before they arrived back in town via a windy Moll’s Gap.
Although the ceremonial start wasn’t until 7.30am, with Mayor of Killarney Cllr Brendan Cronin and Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, presiding, some participants set out as early as 4.30am to ensure they were back in Killarney in plenty of time for the Kerry v Tyrone match.
But there was no need to rush as the event organisers had arranged for the pay-to-view quarter-final to be shown on the big screen near the finish line in the Beech Road car park.
Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
The weather, by and large, played its part with no rain even if it was rather windy in places, particularly in coastal areas and on the final run-in to Killarney.
There was one accident recorded when a woman sustained injuries when two bicycles made contact and the casualty was brought to University Hospital Kerry by ambulance for treatment.
The cycle was an extra special occasion for 87-year-old Sean Magee from Mullingar who completed the 175km course with ease – his seventh time doing so – and to mark the occasion long-serving cycle PRO Cathal Walshe presented him with a souvenir jersey.
“The day went brilliantly and we were delighted with it,” Cathal told KillarneyToday.com.
“The atmosphere in town afterwards was incredible and everyone had a great night with the restaurants and bars packed,” he said.
The main beneficiaries this year will be Breakthrough Cancer Research, Kerry Mountain Rescue Team, Critical Emergency Care, Valentia Community Hospital and Comfort for Chemo Kerry and several tier-two charities and community organisations will also benefit financially.
The exact amount raised on the day will be revealed at a presentation night at the Killarney Brewing and Distilling Company in Fossa in October.
To date, the Ring of Kerry cycle has raised a whopping €18.6 million for great causes and this year’s event will add significantly to that.
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