Newlyweds Michael Flatley and Niamh O'Brien's honeymoon destination remained top secret yesterday. However the pair look set to only take a short holiday before returning to the rehearsal grindstone as another tour of Celtic Tiger kicks off next month.
Both the groom and the bride arrived fashionably late for their nuptials at St Patrick's Church in Fermoy, Co Cork, on Saturday, with the 2pm ceremony getting under way 50 minutes late.
O'Brien's ivory-beaded gown with a vintage lace veil - rumoured to have cost in the region of €100,000 - was the creation of US designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka, who count Catherine Zeta Jones and Elizabeth Hurley among their clients.
The bride was chauffeur-driven to the church from Castlehyde estate in her husband-to-be's new Rolls Royce Phantom. Niamh's six bridesmaids, who wore long navy gowns, included her sisters Aoibheann and Derval and four close friends. Flatley's brother Patrick was his best man while Matt Molloy of the Chieftains acted as groomsman.
A clearly delighted Patrick Flatley said he was always confident that his brother would one day give up his status as one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. The best man also joked about enjoying the media scrum, saying he wasn't used to getting much in the way of attention.
Hundreds of wellwishers gathered outside the church to greet the couple on their arrival. One local woman, who declined to be named, said she wasn't surprised when the couple turned down offers from Hello! to have their wedding pictures in the magazine as they wouldn't have wanted "barricades and barriers" around the church.
Sheila Hussey (75) said she met Michael Flatley at a civic reception in Fermoy a couple of years ago and was impressed by his warmth and sincerity.
"He was a total gentleman. He gave me a kiss and everything. He is the most down to earth man I have ever met. Everyone loves him in Fermoy."
Guests at the wedding included former taoiseach Albert Reynolds and his wife, Kathleen, racing tycoon JP McManus, UTV presenter Gerry Kelly, promoter Peter Aiken and Minister for Health Mary Harney. Ms Harney said she had known Flatley for many years and was proud of the manner in which he modernised Irish dancing.
Flatley's parents, Michael snr and Elizabeth, travelled from Chicago with Michael's sisters, Thomasina and Annie, and his brother, Patrick, for the big day. Liz, Michael's other sister, came from Los Angeles.
Niamh was given away by her father, Thomas, a retired schoolteacher. The Co Meath-born bride's mother, Monica, admitted to feeling emotional after the wedding ceremony. "I feel ecstatic. I am so happy. They [Niamh and Michael] were so relaxed. It was very emotional. I thought I was going to cry at one stage. Niamh is a very special girl."
The ceremony featured a musical score devised by composer Ronan Hardiman. It was also a day to remember for UCC music student Sarah Barry (20), who so impressed Flatley at a recent first World War memorial that he asked her to sing a hymn at his wedding.
The wedding was celebrated by Ardoyne peace campaigner Fr Aidan Troy, who said the celebrity pair were a normal couple who just wanted a simple, traditional Mass.
The Chieftains were the keynote musicians at the reception in Flatley's Castlehyde estate in Fermoy.
Catering for the event was handled by Limerick firm MasterChefs while wines were imported from the US for the day. The menu included a "seafood fantasy" and a pit-roasted whole boar and beef. The traditional end-of-the-night snack was fish and chips.
Flatley has always maintained Fermoy is his dream home. His publicist, Geraldine Roche, said Michael and Niamh were thrilled so many local people had gone out of their way to wish them well for their big day.
As a mark of gratitude, one tier of the wedding cake was reserved for the patients at St Patrick's hospital in Fermoy. The couple also requested that wedding guests donate to local charities in lieu of presents.