Sailor pops question on quay after Med mission
A SAILOR proved that romance is alive and well in the Naval Service with a festive marriage proposal to his girlfriend just minutes after he arrived home from humanitarian duties in the Mediterranean.
Jordan Culbert proposed to Alison Parsons on the quayside at Haulbowline naval base in Cork, to the cheers of his LÉ Niamh shipmates, immediately after the patrol ship docked after a three-month tour of duty off the North African coast.
The couple, both from Birr, Co Offaly, were congratulated after a tearful Alison accepted his proposal. The sailor had been planning the proposal since he sailed to the Mediterranean on migrant rescue duties last October. “I was just hoping she would say ‘yes’ – so it’ll be a very special Christmas for us all,” he said.
Alison admitted it was the best Christmas gift she could have asked for.
There were tears and cheers across the Cork naval base as the 57-strong crew under Lt Cmdr Stuart Armstrong arrived back in Ireland for Christmas.
LÉ Niamh was the first Irish patrol ship to operate under the new UN mission mandate, Operation Sophia, which aims to crack down on people smugglers.
Irish personnel have now rescued almost 19,000 people from drowning since the mission began in 2015.
Defence Minister Paul Kehoe said: “I feel immensely proud of the work that Naval Service personnel are doing.”