HAPPY COUPLE DEREK AND ANN CRINION CELEBRATE THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
ANN AND Derek Crinion had a lovely night recently at Pluck’s in Kilmacanogue to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
They are in fact together 56 years, having met at ‘ The Ballroom of Romance’ in Enniskerry on Shrove Tuesday, in March 1960.
The couple lives on the Dargle Road in Bray and they go to Pluck’s every other Sunday for lunch. Derek insists that they do a wonderful fish and chips there, with a portion of fish like Moby Dick! Ann and Derek have a son and daughter Toby and Maria, five grandchildren, and one baby great-granddaughter, Kayleigh.
They didn’t have a surprise party – as Derek said he would never have been able to keep the secret from his wife – so they all organised the celebration together. They were joined mainly by family members, including visitors from Cork and a nephew and his family who came over from Belgium.
Musician Jim Doyle kept everyone entertained for the evening.
The couple asked their guests to make a donation to Crumlin Children’s Hospital in lieu of gifts. The sealed box won’t be opened until it gets to its destination, so they won’t know until then how much was raised.
‘We must have done something right if we’re 50 years together!’ said Derek. ‘Of course it wasn’t perfect, there’s no such thing as a perfect marriage and you have to bite your lip now and then and carry on. When push comes to shove we’re there for each other and that’s what matters.’
Ann is from Glencullen, while Derek is a native of Bray. Back in the ’60s, the ‘Ballroom of Romance’ as a regular fixture in the hall out in Enniskerry on a Sunday.
‘I went out as usual, You went in and on the right hand side you had the lovely cailíns, and on the other side the blaggards,’ said Derek. ‘I looked up the hall and I spotted Ann and went charging up the hall and said “May I have this dance please”, and she said no! I said “Why not?” She paused, looked at me and said “Because it’s ladies’ choice”. Well I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. But fair dues to her, she gave me the dance!’
Derek had a car and Ann got him to drive her home that evening, along with her friend Maria.
‘She wasn’t too impressed by me,’ he said. ‘I had a crew cut and a big pair of crepe sole shoes. She thought I was a teddy boy, but the car did the trick.’
He wanted another date and happened to have tickets for a dress dance and asked would she like to go.
‘Of course she flew at that,’ said Derek. ‘She wanted to get dolled up and get the box of chocolates!’
‘I wouldn’t have gone out with him at all only I wanted to go to the dance,’ said Ann. ‘ broke it off, but he wouldn’t give me the photos unless we met again!’
They went to four dress dances, then went out for six years before she finally married Derek, who still refers to his lovely wife as ‘ The Boss’.