A couple very much in love travelled thousands of miles from Arizona to renew their wedding vows in St Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney.
John Speacht III and Sara Speacht are part of a visiting group from Scottsdale with which Killarney has a twinning relationship.
They were wed 16 years ago but they were thrilled when Killarney Parish Administrator Fr Kieran O’Brien agreed to renew their vows in the magnificent Pugin-designed cathedral to coincide with their wedding anniversary.
He was contacted with the special request by Killarney Town Twinning Committee Chairman Seán Counihan and the ceremony took place after 6.15pm Mass on Saturday.
The happy couple was joined by their fellow visitors from Scottsdale who are in Killarney in advance of a student golf exchange between the sister locations.
Four students from Scottsdale, accompanied by adult chaperones, including twinning committee chairperson JoAnn Gardner, will arrive in Killarney on June 19 and two female and two male golfers will get to test their skills on the Irish Open Championship course at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.
For the return leg of the visit, four golf loving Killarney students will travel to Scottsdale in October or November.
Scottsdale in the eastern part of Arizona United States with a population of close on 250,000. Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Like Killarney, tourism is Scottsdale’s primary employer, accounting for 39per cent of the city’s workforce.
