RSS
News


Home Page > News > U.S. Ambassador pays visit to Irish newlyweds

Blogs


comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

U.S. Ambassador pays visit to Irish newlyweds

Bride and groom thanked for welcoming U.S. troops to wedding celebration

By
ANTOINETTE KELLY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, August 6, 2009, 10:46 AM
Updated Thursday, August 6, 2009, 1:08 PM

 

Bookmark and Share

Mrs. Patricia Rooney, Ambassador Dan Rooney, Amelia O'Neill (Bride), Sean O'Neill (Groom)
Mrs. Patricia Rooney, Ambassador Dan Rooney, Amelia O'Neill (Bride), Sean O'Neill (Groom)

The County Clare newlyweds who welcomed 300 stranded U.S. troops to their Irish wedding celebration had U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney and his wife Patricia over for tea at their new abode.

Rooney and his wife paid a visit to Sean and Amelia O’Neill on Tuesday to personally thank them for showing their kindness to the U.S. troops after technical difficulties grounded their Iraq-bound plane in Shannon last month.

The bride and groom invited the soldiers to their wedding reception at The Clare Inn, where both groups were staying.

Originally, the incident was surrounded by controversy, with reports that U.S. troops “gatecrashed” the Irish wedding.

The groom, however, immediately shut down these claims, explaining that a few of the soldiers had congratulated him and his new wife, and he in turn invited them to join in on the wedding festivities.

Small groups of soldiers entered the party for a half-hour each, enjoying soft drinks and joining in on the dancing, and the happy couple said they were proud to have them there.

The O’Neills returned from their honeymoon in the Isle of Man, and were soon greeted by a visit from the ambassador.

The couple served the Rooneys tea, coffee and cream cake, while the ambassador gifted the pair with t-shirts bearing the logo of his football team, Superbowl champs the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He also presented the bride’s father, Eamon Walsh, with a book of American Civil War paintings.

Walsh said: "It was a lovely visit. They were lovely down-to-earth people and we were able to have a laugh and a joke."

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.
IrishCentral Mobile QR code


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password