How I met my partner: On first meeting, Mary and Mike both knew that they had just met ‘the one’

Crystal Swing’s Mary Burke and her husband Mike give an insight into their loving relationship as part of this week’s How I Met My Partner

Mary on Mike

On Sunday, September 15, 1985, my friend and I travelled to The Talk of the South nightclub in Fermoy.

I remember the date very clearly because it was my mother’s birthday and the night I met my husband to be.

Linda Martin and her band, Chips, were performing at the venue. The ballroom was packed to capacity and I loved the atmosphere from the minute I entered. I was intrigued by the spinning mirror ball which hung from the ceiling. As it revolved, it sent what seemed like a million sparkling beams all over the place.

Thankfully, I had many friends, both boys and girls. I was very fortunate to meet and date some lovely guys, who made lasting impressions on me, but I knew in my heart I wasn’t ready to commit until I met my Mr Right. I had high expectations for my perfect man and he had to tick a lot of boxes for me.

We were not long after arriving when a tall, dark, handsome bloke invited me to dance. From the word go, I really liked him. He told me his name was Mike and he lived near Kilworth, Co Cork.

We immediately clicked with each other, and we both knew that there was something special between us. What attracted me most to him was that he had a great smile and he seemed to be a shy kind of a guy. Before we parted that night, we exchanged numbers and made a date for the following weekend.

Mike collected me on our first date. He looked like John Travolta on the night with his leather jacket and beautiful dark wavy hair. I knew in my heart he was going to be the one I married.

A true love and respect developed for each other over the following months. Two years later, we got engaged on my 23rd birthday. I had always dreamed of wearing a big sparkler on my finger. We surprised our families with the good news. Everyone was delighted for us.

On the day of our engagement, we went straight to St Francis Church in Liberty Street to receive a blessing. A lovely priest blessed us and our rings. We wanted God in our relationship from the beginning. We exchanged our wedding vows on March 18, 1989, at The Sacred Heart Church, Leamlara, surrounded by our families and friends. As my beloved father walked me up the aisle, I felt like a princess in my snow-white dress. My parish priest, Fr Hallidan, officiated at the beautiful ceremony. I sang the psalm ‘Be Not Afraid’. Our reception was held at The Midleton Park Hotel and, after a scrumptious meal, the celebrations started and continued into the early hours of the morning with the music provided by the brilliant Zodiacs band. We travelled around Ireland on our honeymoon and I treasure our beautiful wedding album and video, still in perfect condition, which recalls cherished memories of our special day.

Over the years, we had our ups and downs like everybody else. Thankfully, we’ve had more happier than sad times. Mike has always been a loving, caring husband and father. He’s very honest and genuine and has been very supportive to me in my musical career. Both of us have a strong faith in God and his presence in our lives has helped us in our journey.

I was so excited at the prospect of becoming a mother. On May 10, 1991, our precious son, Derek was born at The Erinville Maternity Hospital, Cork. Like all parents, we thought he was the most beautiful little bundle in the world. Holding my firstborn baby was one of the best moments of my life. There are no words to describe the overwhelming emotion and love I felt for my child.

Derek’s love for music was very evident from an early age. When he was a toddler, I used to watch him dancing in front of a mirror to ‘The Hucklebuck’. I started my one-woman band, ‘Crystal Swing’ in 2002. Our children grew up listening to the songs that I was singing. Both of them loved performing and their dream was to pursue a career in the music business. Mike supported us every step of the way after our video ‘He Drinks Tequila’ went viral on Youtube.

The success of Crystal Swing was due to a miracle at Mellary Grotto. We prayed there and within days everything we dreamed or imagined happened to us. We placed our trust in God and his Blessed Mother and surrendered all dealings with the band into his hands. God became our manager and he guided us in the right direction at all times.

The seeds of my faith were planted from my early childhood. My father used to pray with us on our way to school each morning and this simple gesture was the foundation of my faith. Both my parents blessed themselves with great reverence when they passed a holy statue or a church.

Our trips to Medjugorje have been life-changing experience for us. For me personally, it changed my whole perspective on life and on my return, I wanted to become a better person. There is a wonderful feeling of peace there. Everybody who goes to Medjugorje returns many times.

Mike on Mary

The night I met Mary, I knew she was the one.

She was a lovely looking girl and had a bubbly personality. I plucked up the courage to ask her to dance and was over the moon when she accepted. I found it so easy to talk to her from the minute we met. We made a date for the following Friday night. We went to the Country Club (now the Montenotte Hotel) on our first date. We both felt completely at ease with each other.

Mary bought me a gold signet ring for our engagement. So we both got a ring on the day. Shortly after getting engaged, we set a date for the wedding. Mary is a wonderful organiser. She put a lot of work into planning the wedding. I was the happiest man on Earth.

After we married, we purchased our home in Lisgoold. We’ve always been extremely happy and content there. We have the best neighbours in the world. Our dream after getting married was to have a little boy and girl. The following year, Mary was thrilled to be expecting our first baby and this made me the happiest man on Earth.

On May 7, 1992, Mary gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Dervla. She was a really special little girl. As a baby, she had a very quiet, calm personality. Many people were fascinated that she could sing pitch perfectly at three years old. Derek and Dervla have experienced so much in their young lives. They got opportunities to travel the world and meet many interesting people. Most importantly, they show respect to others.

As parents, we are so proud of both our children. We thank God every day for the blessings he has bestowed on us. I too came from a family of deep faith and this has been the cement that sustained our marriage over the years. I always wanted to go to Lourdes. In September 2013, Mary and I travelled to this beautiful place of pilgrimage. We were in awe at the beauty and splendour of the buildings and churches surrounding the grotto. The Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 on a total of eighteen times. Lourdes has become a major place of pilgrimage and of miraculous healings. Countless cures have been reported over the years from drinking the water and being in the presence of Our Lady in the sanctuary.

Our advice to any young couple is to be there to support each other through happy and sad times. Keep the lines of communication open and put each other first at every possible opportunity. Our hope for them is that they will rise above the materialism of today’s world and their marriage will be an inspiration to others. We pray they will always keep God in their lives and be proud to practice their faith. God will sustain them and their families going forward. He is the peace the world is searching for. Having faith, going to Mass and praying the Rosary are the tools required for a happy marriage.