Ireland’s most unromantic to cool his ardour in the sun
But when Valentine’s Day involved a trip to their local cattle mart and a romantic meal of a sausage sandwich it was “a bridge too far”.
And to make matters worse she spent the next two days doing all the work on Niall’s farm after he got a cold at the mart.
Little did she — and, no doubt, he — realise that this behaviour would land them a sun-kissed holiday in Cyprus, thanks to Ireland’s Most Unromantic Man competition.
“Niall’s never been particularly romantic,” said Christa, 30, from Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath.
“This year for Valentine’s Day he took me to the mart, the local cattle mart. There was a sale of cattle he wanted to see. I was a little bit annoyed at this. I knew he was unromantic, but this was a bridge too far.
“He bought me a sausage sandwich — that was supposed to be the romantic dinner! He had a bit of a cold there, hanging around, and he was feeling rough, so over the next two days he was sick and I had to do the work on the farm.”
She said three days later she learned of the Ireland’s Most Unromantic Man competition, run by Cyprus Tourism Organisation, and put Niall’s name forward.
Other candidates included a man who bought his wife a grave plot as a Christmas present and another charmer who said he would never buy his fiancee flowers, “not even for her funeral”.
This was stiff opposition, but Niall topped the poll.
“I was really delighted when I heard,” said Christa. “We don’t get away really, apart from Scotland last year for our anniversary.”
She said she was not painting a bad picture of her husband: “He is an amazing guy, fantastic. He’s just very laid back.”
What did the man himself think of being entered into the competition: “I didn’t mind. It’s all light-hearted.”
And the trip to the mart: “We had planned to go, it was the Golden Vale Mart in Tullamore, there was a springers sale. It just happened to fall on that day.”
He accepted, in hindsight, it “probably wasn’t” the most romantic thing to do.
And the meal: “It was an evening sale and we were there an hour early, so we got a sausage sandwich.”
But the 30-year-old farmer must have something. He said they first hooked up in November 2005 after Christa moved into the area and asked around for suppliers of hay for her horses, which he ended up doing.
“One day when I was delivering she was heading into Mullingar for her birthday and asked me if I wanted to join her. And I did.”
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