HI

Because the officiating clergyman, Father Mullally, occupied the seat at the head of the table, the meal tended to be a rather quiet, serious, stuffy affair. Everyone attempted to be on his best behavior. Today this meal is replaced by the wedding reception at a commercial establishment.

Usually someone constructed a “dance floor” outdoors to provide a venue for the party that would soon commence. The party sometimes lasted into the wee hours of the next day, provided that the inebriated fiddler was able to remain in a sitting position and able to drag his bow over the strings. Batches of “shine,” made in the preceding weeks, fuelled the energy for the grand affair.

The honeymoon was, for the most