Mohill is buzzing with talk of Brian and Amy's wedding and, of course, the fleadh, writes ROISIN INGLE
RUGBY STAR Brian O’Driscoll and actor/writer Amy Huberman could be forgiven for thinking they were getting married in the world’s largest hanging basket, the whiff of flowers was so strong in Mohill, Co Leitrim, yesterday.
Lovely Leitrim was certainly living up to its reputation. If excited locals weren’t dabbing fresh coats of paint on visitor information signs in preparation for the wedding today, they were out sweeping the already immaculate streets or making emergency trips to Mohill garden centre where the proprietor said she was doing a roaring trade in geraniums and petunias.
“It’s the bedding season, and we’ve a flower pride competition going on and then there’s the fleadh in the town,” said Sylvia Booth pouring a watering can of cold water over the “Mohill Goes Mad for Brian and Amy” theory.
“But I suppose the extra demand might also have something to do with the wedding. I haven’t seen the place looking this good since I moved here 32 years ago.”
At nearby Lough Rynn estate, the 300-acre wedding venue, a security man at the gates stopped all who approached, apart from guests, while a steady stream of delivery vans bringing wine, food and yes, more flowers arrived.
BOD himself was spotted slipping away from the last- minute preparations for a round of golf while his wife to be was thought to be in full self-pampering mode.
There was obvious good will towards the couple in the town.
Tina Slevin of Coolabawn BB was planning to hang a Leinster jersey out of her window while an Ireland rugby ball was in the window of Early’s undertakers and former pub – a favourite watering hole of the late John McGahern.
Only the Garda decision to close the roads around St Joseph’s Church in Aughavas, where the couple are due to be married at 2pm today, was causing mild controversy.
“I don’t think there is going to be any mad dash up there, to be honest,” said Maureen Lynch, mother of comedian Katherine Lynch. “It would be far better if the pair of them came down the town. I think we’d all like to get up close to those muscles Brian got bruised for Ireland”.
Later she got her chance when she bumped into him having a quiet pre-wedding drink with friends in Carroll’s bar. “I thanked him for taking bruises for us and gave his muscles a stroke,” she grinned. “I told him they should parade down the town after the wedding but he said it wasn’t in the plan unfortunately.”
About 15km away at the idyllic rural setting of the church in Aughavas, local volunteers had given the church walls a “power wash”. Across the road Brian Moran (19) was busy getting his hands dirty in the front garden of a cute cottage opposite the gates of the gleaming church.
The uninhabited house had been looking a little unloved of late, so Moran and his parents, who own the house, decided to spruce it up in time for the couple’s big day.
“I was going to do some work on it this summer but the wedding gave us a bit more motivation,” said Moran, laying compost on some newly dug flower beds.
“It’s just a lick of paint. We haven’t spent a fortune, there is a good buzz around.”
The local fleadh, which is expected to attract 10,000 people to the town over the weekend, was launched last night in Fitzpatrick’s pub with a sean nós dancing event. Bar woman Mary Kennedy said she expected some of the wedding guests to make an appearance there over the weekend. “The groom and his friends are welcome to do a bit of leppin’ around in here and I will certainly pour them a good pint of Guinness,” she said.