Deacon dad does it all for wedding

A man has become the first deacon in the Catholic Church in Ireland to perform a wedding ceremony for his daughter.

John Taaffe walked his only daughter Amy down the aisle of St Mary’s Church in Drogheda, then nipped into the vestry, donned his clerical garb, and re-emerged to conduct the ceremony as Amy married long-time sweetheart David Cunningham.

A deacon in Louth town’s St Peter’s parish, John said: “It was emotional when I walked Amy down the aisle. I was, like any father would be, in a bit of a state — my emotions were all over the place.