‘Listening is key’ to 65 years of happy marriage

They are as in love today as they were the day they tied the knot a remarkable 65 years ago and their secret is simple — listen to each other and compromise.

Peter and Eileen Browne, who both turned 88 this year, were surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for a huge family celebration to mark their milestone blue sapphire wedding anniversary on Wednesday night in the plush surroundings of Cork’s Imperial Hotel.

“They arranged for us to arrive by limo, which was a great surprise. They made a great job of the whole night really,” Peter said.

Peter, who is originally from Douglas Street, and Eileen, from St Finbarr’s Road, met as teenagers in the St Francis dance hall on Sheare’s St.

“It was a popular dance hall and Eileen was a great dancer — that’s what caught my eye,” Peter said.

“We just hit it off and the relationship developed as we travelled around to the other dance halls in the city.”

The young couple, like countless more in the early 1950s, moved to England to find work.

Staying in separate hostels, Peter worked in construction and Eileen worked in a Daimler factory, before they married in Coventry on April 4, 1953.

They returned to Ireland soon afterwards and set up home in Greenmount, with Eileen’s mother and an uncle all living in the same house on Desmond Square.

Peter landed a job with the ESB and devoted the rest of his working life to the company, with over 40 years of service when he retired.

A founder member of the City of Cork Male Voice Choir, singing with the choir for some 47 years, Peter still sings with Opera Cork.

Eileen devoted her life to raising their eight children — Noreen, Tony, Christine, Evelyn, Bernice, Finbarr, Vivienne, and Gwen. They now have 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

All but Gwen, who is in Turkey, were able to make it home for Christmas to enjoy the wedding anniversary celebrations which were brought forward a few months. She phoned them that evening.

Peter said he and his wife did the best they could under the circumstances over the years for their family.

“Thankfully, we were able to look after them all. We’ve been very lucky with our children — they’re more like friends to us now than our children,” he said.

“It was great to have them all around us the other night and to see how successful and happy they all are.”

Tony said all of his siblings are very proud of their parents and deeply appreciative of everything they have done for them over the years.

“A big part of their happy life together is having wonderful children,” he joked.

“But seriously, it was all about family for them. They were always very good to all of us. We are all happy and content because of them.

“And obviously, being in love is a big part of it. And thankfully, they are in great health and in very good form.”

Peter said family has always meant everything to him and his wife, and that listening to each other is the key to a long and happy marriage.

“Confrontation solves nothing. You learn that as you go along. You learn to listen to the other person, to listen to both sides. You learn to work together, to talk things out, and to share and share alike. We’ve been successful enough in that,” he said.