Travellers wedding
A Travellers wedding on Ireland 7th of March 2007 between Marie McDonagh, 20, and Tomas McDonagh, 30. About 100 guests. The ceremony begins at 2pm and the reception and party afterwards, with a three course meal and a live band, ends at midnight.
The shared surname isn't unusual among Travellers. The extended family is big and keeping it togehter is also important.
Marriage within the family is common.
"98% of all Travellers marry; 90% of all
marriages are Traveller/Traveller; 85% of marriages (in this group) are
known to be consanguineous and a third link the children of two siblings:
first cousins. What's more, over a quarter of all individuals have at least
one sibling married to a sibling of their spouse's - two brothers married to
two sisters, for example [ní Shuinéar 2003]."
They have been meeting under the supervision of the brides family during their engagement, they don't yet have a house of their own but in the meantime Maries' oldest sister will leave her house for their comfort.