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03 Jan 2026
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03 Jan 2026
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Templemore's Joseph O'Donoghue and Shobha Kamal at their wedding ceremony in Kanpur
It’s a long, long way from Clare to here the song says.
Well it’s surely a long, long way from here to Kanpur in India. It’s 8,255 km from Dublin to be exact.
That's the journey that Sonny and Margaret O’Donoghue made recently to be with their son Joseph as he married Shobha Kamal in her home city.
Dublin to Dubai, then on to New Delhi and finally a seven-hour train journey to the city of Kanpur.
The wedding took place on October 27 at the home of Shobha’s parents, Maya and Santoshi.
A traditional Indian wedding has three parts. First is the Sangeet which takes place in the days leading up to the wedding and is designed to give the families a chance to familiarise themselves with each other.
The second part of the tradition calls for a Mehndi ceremony, also known as a Henna, to be held the night before the wedding as a way of wishing the bride good health and prosperity as she makes her journey on to marriage.
The Mehndi is organised by the bride’s family, bringing together the female participants from each side.
Traditionally the bride would have intricate henna patterns applied to her hands and feet during the event.
And finally it’s on to the wedding ceremony itself followed by the reception.
Hosting both these events at the home of the bride’s parents would be common practice in the Hindu tradition.
“We were treated like royalty” said Sonny following his return home. “They tended to our every need and were some of the nicest people we have ever met.”
Sonny and Margaret travelled into the centre of Kanpur on a few occasions, but in a city of over three million people things are slightly busier than Templemore.
“The traffic was crazy with no such thing as lanes. Wherever there was a gap, off you went, while being very watchful of the cattle sitting in the middle of the road. And when you went shopping, nothing was priced. You had to haggle for everything” said Sonny.
No better man!
We wish Joseph and his new bride all the best as they begin their married life. The happy couple will reside in Drogheda.
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