Wedding of the Week: 'Our first date was at a filling station, the Applegreen in Charleville'
Dylan Leyden And Photography Pictures: Margaret Clifford Lehane Martin
THEIR love story has been “a second chance for both of us” say Margaret Lehane and Martin Leyden.
Margaret, who lives in Cullen, Co Cork, and Martin Leyden, based in Templemore, Co Tipperary, met through mutual friends and got to know one another during the covid-19 pandemic.
“At first, we couldn’t meet in person so we would have a date every night via video call,” says Margaret.
This went on for three months until December 2020, when pandemic restrictions eased.
“As his son said, Martin was the last of the great romantics — our first date was at a petrol filling station, the Applegreen in Charleville in Co Cork, the halfway point between for both of us,” says Margaret.
“What else could you do back then? The lockdown was in place, you just couldn’t go against it. So many people had to put off meeting one another. But, something positive came out of covid for us!”
Because they are both retired it “made the romance better — we could arrange to meet when we liked, there was no timetable, no clock”, says Margaret.
Martin whisked Margaret, who is originally from Millstreet, Co Cork, to his hometown, Sligo, to pop the question, on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2022. “He proposed as we looked down over the waves off the Sligo coast, at Mullaghmore,” she says.
The couple chose an autumn theme for their wedding as they exchanged vows on September 21 in a civil ceremony in The Lodge at Ballygarry Estate & Spa, Tralee.
The 3pm ceremony was performed by registrar Mary T O’Shea and Ballygarry Hotel was also the reception venue. “We had 82 guests at the wedding and wanted everyone to mix and enjoy themselves,” says the bride.
Margaret looked super-elegant in a wedding dress sourced in Vows in Blarney, Co Cork, and Martin was dapper in a tweed suit by Magee, Donegal.
The bride's friend Janet Cremin was her chief bridesmaid and her friends Irene Cremin and Brida Hajcic and her niece Lisa Keating-Kearney were her bridesmaids.
The groom's friend Ray Nesbitt was his best man while Martin's son Des Leyden together with his cousin Paul Harper and his friend Jack Kennedy were the groomsmen.
“Martin’s grandson Blake Leyden, who is six, was the star of the show. He was the ringbearer,” says Margaret. Margaret’s great-nieces Lauren Buckley and Sofia Keating-Kearney were the flower girls.
One VIP guest, the bride’s dog Tango, arrived in time for the photographs, taken by Dylan Clifford (dylancliffordphotography.com). “Tango loves people and she was like the queen on our wedding day — this lady loves attention!” says Margaret.
Margaret and Martin divide their time between Cullen and Templemore.
“Martin is a retired secondary school teacher, he was assistant principal of Our Lady’s Secondary School in Templemore and I worked as a civil servant, in a clerical role, at Millstreet and Kanturk Garda Stations, for 41 years,” says Margaret.
The newlyweds honeymooned in Rome.
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