Our wedding story: ‘Peaky Blinders’ plays its part in the big day

Sarah Quinn & Aidan Downes

Primary school teacher Sarah and Aidan, both from Glasnevin, have played football and hurling for Na Fianna GAA club all of their lives and that’s where they met as children. After asking her father’s permission, Aidan (“the gaffer”), an electrical engineer who manages a Gaelic football team, proposed to Sarah in London where the couple lived for three years and where Sarah still lives.

On April 1st, 2016, the couple married in a ceremony at St Columba’s church on Iona Road during which the Maynooth Gospel Choir sang. The groom’s parents are Michael and Eileen Downes and the bride’s are John Quinn and Sheila Hallahan. The wedding party, who travelled by vintage bus to the reception at Trim Castle, included the bride’s sister, cousins and best friend and groomsmen wearing Peaky Blinders-style suits with flat caps.

“We both loved the Peaky Blinders series but Aidan had always wanted the farmers’ caps anyway, we had their nicknames embroidered into the back so they were the groomsmen’s presents too.”

Highlights of the day were, “speeches that were amazing and hilarious, the sing- song at the end of the night that lasted until the wee hours. . . and a funny video of our life made by our friend. The cast included all our friends in London and Rory from Rory’s Stories [who makes GAA parodies on Facebook] also did a very funny skit,” says Sarah.

Photograph: Paul Kelly