How I Met My Partner: Walk in the woods at EP led to first kiss for James and Laura

From dancing together in the woodlands of Electric Picnic, to living together in a log cabin in Kinsale, 31-year-old warehouse operative, James Truran, first met 26-year-old florist, Laura Jolly, almost three years ago, while on a night out with friends.

James, who is originally from the Isle of Wight, told The Echo that he and Kinsale native Laura shared their first encounter at the Market Bar in August of 2022.

“The first time I met Laura, the first time I laid eyes on her, I had just finished work,” said James.

“I went down to the bar to meet my friends, and she was sat at a table with all of them.

“I didn’t actually say anything to her until she said she had a free gaff. She said she was going to have an after party and I launched across the table and introduced myself to her.

“That night, I didn’t leave her side at all, I was chewing the ear off her, talking about anything and everything.”

Pet snake 

A number of days following their meeting, James said he passed Laura in Kinsale town, prompting him to invite her over to meet his pet snake.

While this was an invitation that Laura declined, James did not falter in his determination to see her again, leading to their next-meet up on the night before Electric Picnic. 

“The next time I saw Laura, it was the Thursday before Electric Picnic. I texted her again asking if she’d like to go for a drink,” said James.

“We went for a drink that night with our friends, and I remember they were all trying to convince us to get tickets and go with them the next morning.

“I had never been to a festival so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she said that if she could find them, we’d do it.

“The next day she texted me to say she’d found two tickets and by six o’clock that evening I was in the off-licence buying 96 cans of Carlsberg with this stranger I’d met only two weeks before.”

Recalling his first festival experience, which was coupled with another ‘first’, James said: “At one point we were walking through the forest, finding all these DJs and different tents, we were having a little dance, and that’s when I kissed her for the first time – I wanted to kiss her the first night I met her, but I didn’t want to come off too keen.

“We were tied to the hip then that weekend – I don’t think we let go of each others’ hands.”

Feelings

Following Electric Picnic, in September of 2022, James said that his feelings for Laura began to grow, leading him, over the course of the next month, to ask her, not one, two, or three times, but five times, to be his girlfriend.

“The way I fell in love with Laura is how I thought falling in love would feel like when I was a kid,” said James.

“She rejected me the first four or five times I asked her out, but I did ask her rather rapidly.”

Recalling his successful attempt, Laura said: “The day I said yes, it was October [of 2022]. We had woken up after a night out and we were eating breakfast.

“He had asked me the night before, but I had said no because he was drunk, so he just asked me again that morning and I said yes.”

During this time, James had been living with friends in a shared accommodation in Kinsale, which Laura quickly moved into, further solidifying their newfound relationship.

“When we started, Laura would stay at mine a lot more than I would stay at hers, so when we were official, we decided she would move in,” said James.

“She was already friends with most of my friend group, so her moving in was so easy.”

Laura said: “From when we met, I stayed there like every day – probably from the Tuesday after Electric Picnic to February of 2023. We were never apart.”

No second guessing

Having lived in James’ shared accommodation for a year and a half, the pair decided in March of 2024 that it was time to start looking for their own space.

“There was no second guessing for me – I had been saying for a while that I was fed up of house sharing, and I think when it came up to my 30th birthday, we just kind of said it was the right time,” said James.

Laura said: “It just kind of came upon us. Someone from my mom’s estate, who I had known since I was very young, said they had a cabin up for rent, and we decided to take it.

“I’d never lived with just one other person before, but it’s been so nice to see what it will be like for the rest of our lives.

“We’re having a really nice time together, it’s really natural and comfortable."

Looking to the future for James and Laura, the pair are currently saving for a house in Kinsale, and hope to one day get married and potentially welcome some children.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with Laura,” said James.

“I fell so incredibly hard for her because of how funny she is and how caring she is towards everyone around her - I think we balance each other out a lot.

“I just love how much she loves me, I’ve never felt that from anyone before.”

Laura said: “I hope for a house, dogs and kids in the future, and to go on long holidays in a caravan with the dogs to the South of France – the kids can follow then in some time.

“James just lives such a carefree life and reminds me not to get so stressed out all the time, which I love about him.”