Kilmessan decamps to Rio for wedding

Brazil recently experienced a taste of Kilmessan when over 60 residents of the Meath village travelled to the South American country for the wedding of local man Aidan Horan and Ana Paula da Costa Gouvea. A welcome home party took place in Crockett"s Bar, Bective, at the weekend for the happy couple who arrived back from their honeymoon travels last week. A party of 63 locals travelled en masse to Ana Paula"s hometown of Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, for the marriage ceremony. Aidan, better known as Ned, is a member of the well-known local GAA family, and some of the travelling party were able to get home in time to see Kilmessan win the senior championship replay, while others arrived back for the celebrations afterwards. Ana Paula worked in Crockett"s Bar, where Ned first met her, for over a year. A qualified economist, she came to Meath as an au pair on her travels across Europe and originally worked in Robinstown. The couple were travelling home to Brazil to mark their daughter Luana"s first birthday, and decided to get married over there as well. They had already been married in a civil ceremony here, and issued an invitation to anybody who wished to travel to Brazil to join them. Whilst in Brazil, the Kilmessan group took in a number of sightseeing trips, including a visit to the famous World Cup venue, the Maracana Stadium. Ned"s nephews, Martin and Nicky, were among those involved in the hurling championship final, so were unable to make the trip, but his sister, Joan and her husband, Dom Doyle, the club secretary, just made it home from South America to see Kilmessan win the replay. It"s a busy year on the marriage front for the extended Horan family and their fourth marriage of 2008 takes place later this month when Martin marries Eimear Watters in Dunboyne.