In October 1958 I went to a dance in Clery's ballroom, run by the INTO, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, the union of which I was a member. One of those who asked me to dance was a quiet young man who introduced himself as Michael McCormack. He told me he was a clerical officer with CIE, Ireland's transport company, but that he was studying part-time in Trinity College for a BComm and had ambitions later to go full-time to study for a BA in Economics. During the last dance he asked me if I'd meet him one night and go to the pictures with him. A young teacher had already asked to see me home that night but I didn't agree to seeing him again after that night.
Mike's and my relationship developed and one evening in January 1959 he proposed to me and invited me to meet his family. That was on a Monday so we met the following Saturday at the Happy Ring House in O'Connell Street, owned by my friend Phyllis' cousin, Jack McDowell, and bought the engagement ring. My engagement present to Mike was a duffel coat! Mike's parents treated us to an engagement party but my parents made no contribution not even wishing us well on our engagement. My brother, Ted, and my sister, Helen and her husband, Jas, shared my joy with me and in years to come they would become the closest of the family to us.
Firstly, we planned a date in June for the wedding but then changed it to October 17th 1959 and the months that followed were full of preparations. I had a dressmaker who made my white satin wedding dress and there was the church to book and Father Gwynn agreed to marry us with the consent of the parish priest in Star of the Sea church, Sandymount.
Mike's youngest brother, Pat, was to be best man and my bridesmaid would be Iris Nagle, a colleague of mine. Tony O'Halloran, a neighbour and good friend. would give me away. My hairdressers, a young couple recently returned from London, were setting up a cake-making business and their wedding present to me was a two-tier cake and a free hairdo and facial make-up on the morning of my wedding.
Mike and I attended a course run by the church for pre-marriage couples,and so the months passed until my wedding morning dawned.