How I Met My Partner: Marriage followed after she found him 'arrogant' and he found her 'annoying' on first meeting

A SCHOOL bus might not be considered your typical spot for 24-year-olds to meet.

Then again Jenny Fennessy and Dylan Kennedy are not exactly your typical couple.

Long before tying the knot six years ago, they were touring together across Ireland together with a play set on a school bus.

Jenny from Ballysaggart and Glenville man Dylan were starring opposite each other as nerds on the school bus. At that point they never believed that love might flourish between them.

Jenny admits she found her now husband “boring and a little bit arrogant.” 

Meanwhile, Dylan recalled a woman who asked a lot of questions and was-“a bit annoying.” 

A carpool gave them both the chance to meet out of costume, and out of character.

Dylan, who set up Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company with his wife in 2018, cast his mind back to the day they first met.

“We were playing two nerds sitting together on the school bus,” he told The Echo. 

“It all centred around this new kid who was starting at school. The first thing I noticed about Jenny was that she was full of questions and a bit annoying,” he laughed.

Jenny admits that the feeling was mutual.

“I remember him coming off as boring and a little bit arrogant ,” she joked.

Fortunately, their first impressions couldn’t have been more off.

“Jen used to drive me home and we had the best chats. That was the turning point for us.”

Dylan decided to organise the most romantic first date possible.

“There was a sign up somewhere saying “Bingo on tonight.” I thought “let’s go.” It ended up being our first date.”

Jenny said she had no idea if the invitation had romantic connotations.

“He asked me if I wanted to go to bingo but I wasn’t sure if it was a date or not or what the rules were. There was an older couple behind us and they taught us about check and full house. We had a great time.”

Dylan chipped in; “I think my first Christmas present from Jen was Bingo blockers.”

The pair fell in love before eventually moving to the UK together to gain further acting work.

Jenny had flown home to visit family after a successful run in a production in Stratford-upon-Avon when Dylan finally popped the question. It had taken him 10 years to muster up enough courage to do so.

“We were living in the UK at the time. She had booked a flight home to visit family. I also booked a flight but without her knowledge. I made a treasure trail for her through a forest close to where she is from. When she got to the end I was there. She didn’t think I was even in Ireland, never mind at the end of a forest standing underneath a waterfall. It was at this point that I asked her to marry me.”

Jenny said her reaction was tinged with both shock and excitement.

“When I saw Dylan I thought that he was the prize at the end of the treasure trail. That would have been enough. I thought that he never wanted to get married and just accepted that. I couldn’t believe this was happening. It was the most amazing day ever.”

The couple tied the knot in 2017 in St Mary’s Church, Ballysaggart.

“We cycled away from our wedding on a tandem bicycle because that’s our favourite way to travel.”

Dylan and Jenny are managing to balance working as a physiotherapist and substitute teacher- respectively- with their venture Red ‘n Blue Theatre Company.

“We had been working as actors in London for 10 years and had good careers there working with organisations such as the National, Barbican, Donmar, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre of Scotland,” Jenny explained. “We came home and weren’t getting acting work in Ireland. That was when we decided to set up a theatre company.”

Dylan listed the benefits of their shared interest.

“There are ups and downs on both sides,” he said. “That’s the payoff for having a joint understanding that we are in the same boat which just happens to have a lot of holes in it.”

The couple are looking forward to staging their upcoming production Taboo.

Supported by Cork City and Cork County Council’s, the play unfolds in real time over a three-course meal. It is a romantic comedy about two people trying to present the best version of themselves on a date. After the date goes terribly wrong, they are left with no option but to reveal their authentic selves. The production is directed by Shane Dempsey and will enjoy a five day run at Cork Arts Theatre from November 21 to Saturday November 25 at 8pm.

The play will also be staged in the Palace Theatre in Fermoy on Thursday December 7 and Friday December 8 from 8pm. Tickets are priced at €15.