Friday 23 April 2027
Monaleen Church, Limerick, then the Woodlands, Adare.
Ages: all.Pieces: about 298.
Assembly starts in201days00:00:00
Skip to the day360 km of road, 60 bounces, seven stops. The ball goes the western way, the same way the Derry crowd will drive down in April.
The Walls, the Peace Bridge, the Guildhall clock. Niall McDermott is proudly from here, and he works for Basketball Ireland, so a ball was always going to be involved. Scroll, and it starts bouncing south.
Event 1 of 7Derrykm 0 of 360bounces 0
September 2020. LYIT Donegal v the Eagles. At a basketball game, Niall gave Orlaith a thumbs-up. One thumbs-up. That was the whole move, and it worked.
Event 2 of 7Donegal Townkm 76 of 360bounces 13
Flat on top, like a good court. She's a primary school teacher and Huskies through and through; he's Basketball Ireland and Derry to the bone. Two proud counties, one ball, and a lot of basketball talk at the dinner table.
Event 3 of 7Benbulbenkm 130 of 360bounces 22
Knock, more or less halfway. Time for the box score.
Event 4 of 7Knockkm 209 of 360bounces 35
Ennis, County Clare. 33 km to go. Coming down from Derry for the wedding? This is your road: about 360 km and 4¾ hours, the western way through Lifford, Donegal Town, Sligo, Knock, Tuam and Gort.
Event 5 of 7Enniskm 327 of 360bounces 55
The Shannon, the longest river in Ireland. The ball stays on the road. Flying in? Shannon Airport is about 30 minutes from the church.
Event 6 of 7The Shannonkm 347 of 360bounces 58
Limerick. Orlaith Woods is proudly from here. Last bounce, up, and
Swish.
Derry meets Limerick. That night they properly talked for the first time, in Shake Dog, the late-night takeaway. Niall got chicken. Orlaith got cheese and garlic chips.
Event 7 of 7King John's Castlekm 360 of 360bounces 60swish 1
The rest of the story, and the big day, built step by step.
Peel and stick. Not to scale, and not on the island at all. Orlaith lived in Dubai for two years, loves it, and has family there. Niall flew out five times.
Kilkee, County Clare. Her favourite place, all those childhood summers. On the cliffs, he asked. She said yes.
Full story to come.
Also in this set: one 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. Full build steps further down.
Contents: 1 Derry, 1 Limerick. Push the two pieces together until you hear a click. Then follow the steps for Friday.
Friday 23 April 2027. Eight steps, one very good day.
Monaleen Church, Castletroy.
Monsignor Dan Neenan. Jessica Brett on the music.
About 25 minutes. One 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud included.
Jessica Brett plays the drinks reception.
Sit down, settle in.
The best man part is still to be announced.
Live band. Dancing shoes on.
Your song request goes on the registration card below.
Working plan. Final times with the invites.
Day 2 is the Treehouse at the Woodlands, Saturday 24 April 2027, from 4:00 PM. It's for everyone. Come as you are, bring the stories from Friday, and we'll keep the party going.
Check you have everyone before you start. One part is still in the post.
Twelve cards from the set so far. More arrive after 23 April.
Roads, runways and beds. Everything you need to land in Limerick on the Friday.
Derry: about 360 km and 4¾ hours, the western way the ball took. Belfast: M1 then M7, about four hours. Car pool if you can; the convoy is half the fun.
Shannon Airport is about 30 minutes from the church. Cork is about 1¾ hours by road, and Dublin about 2½ after landing.
Monaleen Church, Castletroy, Limerick. Doors from 12:30, ceremony at 1:00 PM. Parking notes travel with the invites.
Open the church in MapsThe Woodlands Hotel & Spa, Adare, about 25 minutes from the church. Plenty of parking. Saturday's Treehouse is on the same grounds.
Open the Woodlands in MapsThe Woodlands first: ring the hotel and say you're with the wedding, those rooms go early. The Dunraven Arms is in Adare village, five minutes away. Limerick city is about 25 minutes, with plenty of rooms: the Strand, the Clayton and the George.
Local numbers arrive with the invites. Whatever the hour, the hotel desk will call one for you.
April in Ireland: all four seasons before the soup. Everything on the day is indoors. Bring a coat for the photos.
Common problems and how to fix them.
Your good clothes, with colour and personality. Two firm rules: nothing white unless you're the bride, and no club jerseys. Either club. Yes, it's a Huskies and Eagles household. That's exactly why.
Really. The Treehouse at the Woodlands from 4:00 PM on Saturday 24 April. No small print.
Your invite names everyone it includes. Check it when it lands in the new year, and just ask if anything's unclear.
The ruling comes with the invites. Either way, Black Diamond Photography and MDA Productions have it covered, so you're free to just be there.
Your presence is the present. There'll be a quiet card box on the day, and that's all we'll say.
1 March 2027, to be confirmed on the invites. Prefer paper? Tell any of the bridal party and they'll sort it for you.
Not yet. It's the display model. The real one, which finds your name and your whole household, goes live with the invites.
Fill in your card so we know which pieces are coming. Two minutes, tops.
Display model. This card goes live with the invites.
Orlaith & Niall, set 23.04.27
Card received (well, the display model's version of received). When the real one goes live, this is exactly where your answer lands.
Thanks for letting us know. We'll raise a glass to you in Adare, and you'll get the photos.
Please return by 1 March 2027 (to be confirmed on the invites).
Prefer paper? Tell any of the bridal party and they'll fill it in for you.