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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Ewan Gleadow & Anita McSorley

Traveller teen marries cousin in massive Limerick wedding with groom boasting 73 best men

An Irish traveller married her first cousin in a massive wedding that saw the entire town invited, including 73 best men.

Chantelle Kielly, 18, tied the knot with cousin Jim in Rathkeale, Co Limerick during "wedding season".

Traditional Traveller families spend 10 months of the year travelling before returning home in December for wedding season - a period that can see up to 10 ceremonies a week, with families preparing wedding receptions and events.

READ MORE: Locals slam lavish wedding with horse drawn pink and white carriage in Galway amid lockdown

The marriage was featured in a recent episode of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which aired on Channel 4 in February, the Daily Star reports.

Chantelle and Jim's wedding was secured after the bride's family paid the groom's family a dowry ranging between €50,000 and €120,000.

Chantelle Kielly got married to Jim in Rathkeale as part of the yearly 'wedding season' (Channel 4)

Marrying your cousin is legal in Ireland.

The pair went all out for the nuptials, wanting a wedding that everyone will remember.

They invited the entire town of Rathkeale to witness the event, which saw at least seven bridesmaids and a staggering 73 best men.

The entire town of Rathkeale was invited to Chantelle and Jim's wedding (Channel 4)

Chantelle's dress was adorned with 20,000 crystals while they had a bespoke Barbie cake.

Dressmaker Thelma Madine, who featured on My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding frequently, said: "They are really nice people, the girls are very respectable. We always say the Irish travellers are like going back 50 years but the Rathkeale girls are like going back 100 years.

"They’re all family and I think that’s how they keep the wealth in Rathkeale because they just don’t let it go out."

READ MORE: Funeral directors in Ireland report 'crazy' trend as business 'completely changed'

READ MORE: Traveller activist calls out RTE for 'normalising racism' in Claire Byrne Live poll

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