How I met my partner: Wrong time, wrong location, but a perfect pair

FOR Jamie Roche and Clodagh O’Mahony, there was a connection at first sight, although things were a little complicated to begin with.

Jamie said: “The first time I met Clodagh was in August 2013. We were both on a night out with friends. We only spoke briefly, exchanged a handful of words. Clodagh shot me down before I got her name as she was with somebody else at the time. You couldn’t blame me for trying though.

“She is a lovely looking girl. I had a lot of respect for her honesty to be fair. So I went home heartbroken without the shift, gutted but what can you do.”

A few months later, single and celebrating her first year Christmas exams, Clodagh was keen to pick up where they had left off when fate brought them together again.

“I was out celebrating with a friend. We had tried to get into a club that was for 19s and over but since I was 18 I was refused at the door.

“We made our way up to the only other club in town and went in there. It must have been about 12.30-1am when we were on the dance floor and I spotted Jamie!”

Clodagh admitted she had a serious crush on Jamie since meeting him a few months previous and taking her chance, she made her way over to him.

Jamie said he was suspicious of Clodagh’s intentions the second time round.

“A few months pass, I am out with some friends. We’re back in ‘The Light’, a nightclub in Mallow. Someone catches my eye across the dance floor, but I’m not falling for that again as this girl has a boyfriend. Now she’s on the way over though, so my interest is piqued. A few more words exchanged, perhaps a sneaky shift who’s to say. We go our separate ways, but at least this time I got her name.”

As with all true love stories then comes the stalemate.

Jamie said he let a few weeks pass before getting up the courage to send a Facebook message after a night out.

“A couple weeks pass, and Clodagh is living rent-free in my head, but I’m awkward and shy so I don’t really know what to do about it. Next time I’m out I have a bit of dutch courage, and send her a message on facebook. Sure what do you send to someone who you’re not friends with on facebook at 5am, I just sent ‘Hi.’ with a smiley face emoji”

Once the chat began, the conversation flowed. Clodagh said Jamie became the first person she would talk to in the morning and the last person she spoke to at night.

However, despite all the communication, there is some confusion regarding their first date, which Clodagh maintains was a gig with most of Jamie’s family and Jamie adamant they went to the cinema just the two of them.

“Eventually,” Jamie said, “we planned our first date, a trip to the cinema, private, just us. Happy days. Two days before our cinema date, I had a spare ticket to a Walking On Cars gig in The Pav in Cork. I asked Clodagh to go.”

The cinema date was clearly not as memorable for Clodagh.

“Our first date was a Walking On Cars concert in the Pav in Cork City. I didn’t know what Walking on Cars was so I thought we were literally going to walk on cars and I remember having to awkwardly ask what we were going to be doing. Pure mortifying like.

“Anyway, he failed to tell me the majority of his siblings would be in attendance also (I found out in the queue to the gig). But it was a great night all the same. We had many more dates after that (without his family).”

The pair have been together for over eight years and see a long and happy future together. Jamie said Clodagh brings out the best in him and allows him to be himself.

“One of the best things about being with Clodagh is she understands me more than anyone. Having someone who understands you, and wants the best for you is something that you could only hope to have, I have that tenfold with Clodagh.

For Clodagh she just wants to thank the bouncer who wouldn’t let her into the 19s club in Mallow all those years ago.

“The last few years have flown by and have been so much fun. We finished college, moved in together, have gone on great holidays and have grown with one another. We don’t take anything too seriously, we just take each day at a time.

“Jamie is my best friend, biggest supporter and boyfriend all in one. I am extremely grateful to the bouncer that denied me entrance to the 19s club that night!”