Aidan and Aggie Corrigan from Co Tyrone celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last June. They live in Omagh and have two children, Mairead and Eugene, daughter-in-law Joanne and their wonderful granddaughter Chloe. Not to forget Cookie, the family’s much-loved Shih Tzu!
For this month’s Words of Wisdom we caught up with Aggie to find out the secret of the happy pair’s long-lasting marriage...
How did you meet?
We met at a dance in April 1969 in the Patrician Hall in Carrickmore. Although, I had known Aidan for a long time before that, I was very friendly with his sisters. That night I was heading to get my coat out of the cloakroom, I looked up and there he was on the balcony. He nodded his head to go out for the last dance and the rest is history!
Tell us about your wedding day?
Our wedding service took place in the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Beragh on 17Th June 1972. We had two bridesmaids, two groom’s men, a flower girl and page boy. We had our reception in the Four Seasons in Monaghan, which was the place to go then. Nearly all our friends had their receptions in the Four Seasons after us. We had 98 guests and the wedding reception bill was £124 – I still have the receipt! For our honeymoon we toured the South of Ireland and took a bite out of the Blarney Stone!
What advice would you give someone getting married today?
Don’t be wanting everything at the one time and don’t buy things you can’t afford. If you can’t afford it, do without it. We still live in the same house we bought before the wedding and have had many happy years there.
What’s your secret to a long-lasting marriage?
Our advice would be that there must be a bit of give and take in everything.
And never ever go to bed on a row!
