How I met my partner: Cork couple knew 'from day one' they were meant for each other

From a friend’s birthday party to front stage at Cork Opera House, love was choreographed to flourish between this Leeside couple.

Thomas Browne, aged 27, who is a care assistant with Horizons Cork, first met 25-year-old Hannah Greaney, who is a dance teacher with Billie-Jeans RDC, at a house party in 2020.

Speaking to The Echo, Thomas, who is from Rathcormac, said that it was “love at first sight” after spotting Hannah, who is from Cloyne, for the first time five years ago.

“I came into the party a little bit late. I walked in, looked around, and at the top of the room I saw this one girl dancing away to herself, to Queen,” said Thomas.

“I’ll be honest, it was love at first sight for me — I was smitten from the moment I walked in the door.”

Unbeknownst to Thomas, the immediate connection was not lost on Hannah, who said once she was finished her impromptu dance session, she approached their mutual friend to find out more about him.

“When I saw Thomas, I was like ‘he’s very cute’, so I went up to our friend and asked who he was,” said Hannah.

“It was me then who was brave enough to go up to him first. I overheard that my friend needed a cigarette, and at the time Thomas smoked, so I said I’d casually walk up to him and ask for one — it wasn’t the best pick-up line.”

Despite their initial nerves, the pair quickly relaxed in each other’s company, with Thomas mustering up the courage to make the first move.

“After I gave her friend a cigarette, she hung around next to me and two of my friends, and thank God I built up the guts to do it, but I put my arm around her,” said Thomas.

Two weeks after the party, the pair went on their first date to Reardens, before attending another party together, where they made their relationship official.

“At the time [of our first date], it was when you had to order food if you wanted to get a drink, but we were so nervous, we just sat there talking and the food went cold beside us,” said Thomas.

“Coincidentally then, at another party a few weeks after, I asked Han to be my girlfriend.

“I knew the friend that introduced us was coming, and as soon as I heard she [Hannah] was coming too, I was looking out the window waiting for them to arrive.

“[Later that night] we were out the back on the patio, where we kissed each other [for the first time] — but right as we kissed, we activated the motion-sensor lights, and there was about 40 people looking out at us.”

The pair began a long distance relationship during the second round of covid lockdowns, with Thomas moving to Galway and Hannah living in Dublin while she attended college.

“We Facetimed every single evening for four months. I couldn’t tell you what we spoke about, but somehow we kept talking,” said Thomas.

Hannah said: “It’s mad to think back on now, but we were just so in love, we never got sick of each other. We just knew from day one.”

Once covid restrictions were lifted, the couple were able to explore their relationship further, until 2023, when they moved back to Cork.

“We were able to meet up more often when we were back in Cork, which was great,” said Thomas.

“We were constantly bussing, getting the train, or getting lifts to each other, and I don’t know how my poor dad wasn’t sick of us. The day I got my license was the happiest day of his life.”

After some time going back and forth between Rathcormac and Cloyne, with Thomas’ father Bill often playing taxi for the pair, they decided to build a house together.

“We were looking into buying a house originally, but it was more of a difficult task than we anticipated,” said Thomas.

“We’re in the process of building now, we’ve been renovating for the past nine months, and we’re hoping there’s only about a month and a half left in it.”

Last weekend, reminiscent of their first kiss, and after two years of planning, Thomas popped the question under the spotlight at Cork Opera House, with 33 family members in attendance.

“I knew that I wanted to propose to Hannah around the time I moved back from Galway,” said Thomas.

“I wanted to make sure it was special, and knowing where Hannah works, I knew she’d want to have the kids [from the dance studio] involved.

“At one of her shows two years ago, I went out for a walk and bumped into her boss.

“She asked if I would consider proposing at their yearly show in the Opera House, [and] at first it was a scary thought, but I knew Hannah would love it, so I started planning.”

With their song, Beige by Yoke Lore playing, Thomas entered from stage right last Sunday week, got down on one knee, and proposed to Hannah with a custom-made ring, which he had previously sketched back in 2023.

“There was so much that went into it. I was so nervous, I didn’t get the best night’s sleep beforehand,” said Thomas.

“I was overthinking everything, I kept opening the box to make sure the ring was still in there.

“We had choreographed everything, but when our song came on, my legs just started carrying me and I was out on the stage before I knew it —that’s when I got down on one knee, and she said yes!”

Recalling the moment, Hannah said: “I was sobbing. I didn’t even register what was happening.”

Looking to the future for Thomas and Hannah, the couple said they plan on finishing their house renovations before getting married in two to three years, honeymoon in Rome, and eventually start a family.

“We don’t know what exactly the future holds for us, but we’ll do it together hand in hand,” said Thomas.