Dara Molloy, Celtic Monk, Celtic Priest: Writings

Performed by Dara Molloy, Celtic priest

I have been performing wedding blessings and marriage ceremonies for almost 30 years.
For the last 10 years, or so, the ceremonies I perform are independent of any particular church or institution.

Please check our page about Celtic Nature Wedding on The Aran Islands

Who I am:

I am a Celtic priest and monk
I am in my 50's
I am married with four small children
I belong to the Celtic spiritual tradition but not to any formal church, sect or cult
I am freelance and self-employed

What I offer:

An indoor or outdoor ceremony
Anywhere - my home is in the West of Ireland but I will travel
A personalised ceremony - I will take you where you are at and create a ceremony to suit you
I will perform ceremonies for homosexual and lesbian couples as well as for heterosexual couples
Your ceremony can be as orthodox (e.g. Christian) or as unusual as you like
I will meet you beforehand if you wish
I will conduct most of the planning with you by e-mail and phone
If you need me to, I will arrive the night before the wedding
If you invite me, I will stay for the celebrations and say grace at the meal.

What I cannot offer:

A legal registration of your marriage. You must go to a registrar to do that.
A ceremony in a church owned by a Christian denomination (except with special permission)

How I can help in other ways:

Please check The Practical Guide to Creating Your Own Ceremony
You can have a ceremony in a church if you wish there are churches in Ireland that are privately owned. Most of them that I know are owned by hotels, so you can have the ceremony and the rest of the celebrations at the one location.
I work with a number of wedding coordinators. If you want one, I can get you one.
Do you want a wedding in a castle? This is becoming more popular, especially with American and Canadian couples. I can help you find a suitable castle, even one with a chapel.
Do you want the wedding ceremony to take place at a place of natural beauty? I have performed ceremonies at a lake edge at Gougane Barra, (Co. Cork), on a boat on the river Corrib (Galway), on an uninhabited island off Dingle (Co. Kerry), at the cliff edge at Dun Aengus (Aran Islands), and on The Burren (Co. Clare). If you need me to, I will help you to pick your spot.
Do you want the wedding ceremony to take place at a spiritual site? I have performed ceremonies at the foot of Croagh Patrick (Westport, Co. Mayo), at an ancient Celtic monastic site on Inis Mór (Aran Islands, where I live), in the ruins of a monastery on an island off Dingle (Co. Kerry), at Gougane Barra (Co. Cork) where St. Finbar first lived as a hermit monk, at a dolmen (burial mound) which is 4,500 years old on Inis Mór (Aran Islands). If you need me to, I will help you pick your spot.

Cost:

Creating meaningful spiritual ceremonies, and leading those ceremonies, is part of my life's work. It is what I believe I am here for. Earning an income from this work is secondary.
If you are financially constrained, please discuss it with me and we will come to an agreement.
A wedding on Inis Mor, Aran, will be the cheapest. Weddings off the island will cost more depending on the amount of travel and accommodation needed. When we know your detailed requirements,we will give you a quotation.

What You Get For Your Money:

I will discuss the ceremony with you over the phone and by e-mail as often as you like.
I will meet the two of you beforehand if you wish, you can visit my home, or I will travel to Galway to meet you.
I will send you a bundle of material from which to choose readings, blessings, prayers, and vow formats for your wedding.
If your wedding is to be on the Aran Islands, I will help you arrange all the other aspects of the celebration: accommodation, meals, transport, music, photographer, flowers.
I will arrive the night before the wedding if you wish. That way, we can have a rehearsal and finalise every detail before the ceremony begins.
Alternatively, I will arrive 3 or 4 hours before the wedding in order to meet casually with you both while you prepare, and to make final preparations for the ceremony.
After the ceremony, if you invite me to stay on for the meal and celebrations I will normally be happy to do so.
The ceremony itself will be the very best that I can do for you. I will go the extra mile.

What People Think

Just watched the video from our wedding in June that you officiated. In watching it again it reaffirmed how blessed we were to have you there. Everyone that came to our wedding had so many beautiful things to say about you. You really touched people in such a wonderfully positive way. When I started to plan this wedding, I knew in my heart it was something that would be special, but not until we met with you did it all make sense to me. I saw in you why I chose Ireland. So thank you for everything.
We finally arrived home and want to thank you for your hospitality on the island as well as the wonderful ceremony you performed for us. It was very meaningful for us.
Thankyou for helping to make our day so special we're still on a high from it... Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and all commented on your moving ceremony--even the boys were crying !
thanks so much for an absolutely beautiful service.
Just wanted to say thanks (again) for the wonderful words, and the way that you handled our ceremony. You gently took us out of that slightly chaotic day, and allowed us to focus on each other and our commitment. It was really nice to have you for dinner as well. Everyone has many good things to say about you and learned a bit from you too!
Thank you again for a superb job on our wedding... Everything was first rate!
We wanted to thank you for the wonderful ceremony you preformed for our wedding. As non-traditional people we did not think we would be able to find someone to perform the type of ceremony that would be meaningful for us. We assumed we would have to settle for the type of ceremony that would be irrelevant to our tastes and beliefs. The ceremony you performed was very meaningful for us. I don't think a more apt and appropriate and perfect ceremony could have been done. We wanted to tell you how much we appreciated the ceremony and meeting you in person as well. You helped make it a truly unique and special day.
Thank you so much for such a special day. You are such a beautiful, spiritual person. Everything you set up was just magical. I never in a million years imagined a wedding so amazing. Thank you.
I just want to thank you for doing just a fantastic job, both of us were so impressed and proud with the ceremony. So many people have come to us since the wedding and asked about you, everyone was blown away by you and the fact that the ceremony was so different. You made our day so special, we will remember it for the rest of our lives. Once again thank you.
Again, I can't tell you how beautiful the ceremony and the handfasting ceremony were. It was something I will cherish forever.
A Practical Guide to Creating Your Own Ceremony