Poppy and Brendan celebrate a ruby

Well known Tralee couple Brendan and Patricia ‘Poppy’ Cregan from Mitchel’s Court celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last weekend.

Family, extended family, friends and neighbours gathered at the Cregan home as the BBQ was ‘fired up’ for the celebrations.

Like many couples in years gone by, Brendan and Poppy met at one of Michael Donovan’s ‘hops’. Subsequently they were married in St John’s Church on 29 August 1970 with their reception at Meadowlands.

After their wedding Brendan and Poppy lived in Caherina for a year and then they “travelled across town from Brendan’s native Strand Road” and settled in Poppy’s  territory in Mitchel’s Court, a stone’s throw from where Poppy grew up in Kevin Barry’s Villas.

It was a great night of celebration and fun helped by their five daughters Paula, Sharon (married to Gerard Collins and their daughter Lily), Anna and (hubbie Tony O’Shea and children Amy and Bríd), Patricia and Noelle (with boyfriend Eoin Colgan).

Also among the gang were Poppy’s sister Ina, married to Bernard Keane, and Brendan’s brother Pa Cregan, married to Christine Breen, his sister Anne Maher, married to James, the Jones family from Kevin Barry’s long time neighbours and friends of Poppy’s family. ‘Guest of honour’ was Poppy’s uncle, well known Tralee man Sam McCarthy and wife Sheila.

It was a night to remember for the entire family and brought back plenty memories of “all those years ago’”