This article is from page 4 of the 2006-04-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
MORE than 200 people converged on Lisdeen Church outside Kilkee on Saturday afternoon for the wedding of Brixton Prison escaper Nessan Quinlivan.
Quinlivan, 41, a native of Limerick, married his long-term girlfriend Eileen Price, from Dublin, at a lowkey 50-minute ceremony.
The former IRA figure managed to evade the waiting photographers, as he arrived 30 minutes early for his wedding.
Many of the wedding party had an early drink in Keane’s public house across from the church, but the groom was nowhere to be seen.
There was no sign of prominent senior Sinn Féin figures, who had been expected to attend the nuptials.
Quinlivan was centre of attention during the wedding mass, which was said by Fr Donagh O’Meara, and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the attention bestowed upon him and his bride.
Wearing a dark grey suit, white shirt and pink tie, Quinlivan travelled the short journey from the Ocean Cove Hotel – where the reception took place – to Lisdeen church at lunchtime on Saturday.
Prior to leaving the hotel for his big moment, he chatted to family and friends in the hotel reception, and showed no sign of any nerves on his big day.
Just before he departed the hotel for the church, he tried on a pair of sunglasses belonging to one of the other guests and asked all around did they suit him – before deciding to go without them!
Moments later, he and his best men, Maurice Quinlivan and Sean Bromell, travelled to the church in Lisdeen.
Quinlivan lapped up the attention during the ceremony. When the couple were exchanging their wedding rings, Eileen had difficulty in placing his ring on his finger, and giggled loudly.
He turned to the crowds and laughed, “Big hands,” before giving his bride a peck on the cheek and then bowed to the crowd.
While Eileen was photographed entering the church before the wedding mass, 15 minutes late, there were no photographs of the happy couple afterwards.
The couple’s friends shielded them with umbrellas, as they left the church for an awaiting Lexus car, which sped off towards the Ocean Cove hotel in Kilkee town.
The wedding group partied until the early hours, before the couple began their honeymoon in Dingle.
“They can’t leave the country, because of the extradition,” a family member confirmed.
The wedding Mass was a traditional event, with songs such as ‘Amazing Grace’. ‘Bind Us Together’ and ‘Morning Has Broken’ the order of the day.
Fr O’Meara said the couple were destined to be together.