Comhaltas Wedding of Deirdre Parnell (Secretary Leitrim County Board and PRO Drumshanbo Branch) And Anthony Fahy (Elphin) (Bodhran player and member of Drumshanbo Comhaltas). Love stories do sometimes begin at traditional music sessions! At least that was the case with myself and my new husband. We met over seven years ago at a session in John James and Carmel Regan’s pub “The Bogside Inn” in Derrinadooey, outside Ballyfarnon, in County Roscommon. I have been a flute player for many years (starting as an adult) and Tony plays the bodhran and spoons (very quietly!). I had moved from Dublin to live in Lovely Leitrim and Tony was living in Elphin, Co. Roscommon. We both played music mainly around the Drumshanbo area and I had been attending the Joe Mooney Summer School for around 18 years. We Therefore had many things in common. Three years ago Tony proposed to me At the launch of the CD “Behind the Half Door” in Edgeworthstown. The CD features Sean and Seamus Thompson, Noel Sweeney and our good friends Mairead Kelly and Eamon Dunne, all wonderful musicians. When Tony got down on one knee and proposed I said “yes”. And on the 6th of July 2007 in the Registry Office In Carrick on Shannon we finally tied the know. We had a small wedding with some of our musical friends Maria Murphy (flute), Paula Murray (Banjo and Mandolin), Brid O’Keeffe (Fiddle), Sven Paetz (Bouzouki), George Eggleston (pipes, mandolin) playing tunes in the Registry Office. The “wedding reel” got us in the door and on the way out they played “Banish Misfortune” both very appropriate tunes for the occasion. The reception was held in the Ramada Hotel & Suites @ Lough Allen in Drumshanbo and during The cutting of the cake they serenaded us with “fig for a kiss” which is my favourite Tune and then after the meal an impromptu session struck up with my Mother Kicking her heels up in fine fashion! And the day was not over yet. My new husband Tony had organised a surprise party in Berry’s Tavern with many friends from Dublin, local comhaltas members, Work colleagues, neighbours and best of all the Killinagh Ceili Band. We danced away to the band with walls of Limerick etc. until the small hours and then the Members of the ceili band joined all the other musicians for a big session until the very small hours! Padraig McManus (Chairman of Leitrim County Board CCE) and Nancy Woods, (Treasurer Drumshanbo Comhaltas) made a presentation to us Of a lovely lamp on behalf of Comhaltas. All in all it was the best day of our lives.