It’s where I met my fella (now hubby of 40 years)

Ann Ball, from Glasnevin in Dublin works in administration for Bohemian Football Club. She met her husband, Aer Lingus worker Bernard, under Clerys’ Clock. They have two granddaughters and two grandsons. MY own story is that I used to go to the Apartment Club over by Fleet Street near the Palace bar with my friend Lynn. This was in the 1970s. We were only in school and we didn’t tell our parents.

We’d sneak into town. The club was over at 11pm and it was only a lemonade bar. I went in one Saturday night and this fella kept looking over at me. Eventually he came over and said, “Do you want to stay for another dance?”

We danced and he asked me to meet him the following week under Clerys’ clock and I did — and I’m still married to him today. His name is Bernard though I thought his name was Robert for three weeks.

He was like nothing on earth — his hair was down to his shoulders. When we had our first kiss outside the Apartment — he had a cigarette in his hand and he burnt a hole in my new jacket.

I stood outside Clerys hoping I wouldn’t be caught by my father. I was only 15-and-a-half.

I got there early and I hid around the corner to let on you’re not the first to arrive. Otherwise you look eager — or like a dope.

I saw the 16 bus and back then they had no backs on them and some fellas would jump off the back before the bus stopped, trying to look cool. He jumped off and nearly broke his neck.

In those days they wore suits and he had a sort of brown tweed one with a white shirt and a long tweed coat with a big fur collar. He was like Del Boy gone wrong.

We are now together over 40 years and our two children, who are in their 30s, love this story.