Climbing the lighthouse tower to wed

LOOP Head lighthouse hosted its first wedding ceremony last week. Eric Williams and Kendall Stratman, from Jefferson City, Missouri, were the ones to create a little bit of local history.

 

Lighthouse supervisor Martin Gleeson, who regularly treads the boards with Kilkee Amphitheatre, officiated at the wedding, which had a party of 11 people.

“The last thing I thought, when I was going to work on Thursday, was that I’d be on top of the lighthouse tying the knot for two Yanks. There is no play that I could lay my hands on that was like that one,” Martin joked.

The couple had booked use of the lighthouse for the wedding and were accompanied by their respective parents.

“They arrived on the Wednesday to see the place. I suggested to them that up on the outside of the tower would be a lovely place to do it.

“Of course, they went up and being Yanks, they said it was ‘awesome’. So we agreed that they’d come back at 5pm on Thursday evening,” Martin explained.

“They arrived but they didn’t have anyone to marry them. So they asked me would I do it? They had the ceremony written out. They had five or six coloured ribbons tied together. The craic was that they held hands and I put the ribbons around their hands. Each ribbon had a different symbol.

“For example, the green ribbon was the symbol of prosperity and health. Religion didn’t enter into it at all,” he laughed.

“They were all wearing suits but they had tartan green ties, green and white flowers on their lapels, black canvas shoes and florescent green laces on their shoes. You could see them coming a mile away. The women and all had the green florescent laces,” he marvelled.

The wedding party chose Loop Head on a whim last year. They stuck a pen in the map of the world, late one night and this was where they ended up.

“They had a little bit at the end of the ceremony where I said, although I’m officiating here today, it is not truly in my power to sanctify, legislate or bless your relationship because the two of you have already have done that in your hearts’.

“So, as the man says, if I was ever arrested and brought up for impersonating a pastor, I’d get away with that one,” he predicted.

The wedding party adjourned to Keating’s in Kilbaha for a champagne reception and held their wedding dinner at Tubridy’s in Doonbeg.

Mary McMahon, who lives in Doonbeg, helped to organise the event for the couple. “As far as they were concerned, they got married but they said to me afterwards that when they go back to the States, they’re going to have a civil ceremony.