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Ár bPéire

Family Image Name: Family Description: Family Copyright: Joseph Hoban
Baby Image Name: Baby Description: Baby Copyright: Joseph Hoban
Family Image Name: Family Description: Mother and child Copyright: Joseph Hoban

Go minic, is é cúrsa coitianta lánúin óg ar bith nó tréimhse a chaitheamh ag suirí, pósadh agus ansin páistí a thabhairt ar an tsaol, ach ní hé an gnáth scéal a bhí ag Áine Máire Uí Néill agus a fear céile Domhnall Ó Néill.  Bhí siad doirte dá chéile, agus an saol ar a mian acu go dtí gur shocair siad aghaidh a thabhairt ar thús a chur lena dteaghlach féin.  Chuaigh Dónall Mac Ruairí ar cuairt chucu agus iad ar saoire i Loch an Iúir i nGaeltacht Thír Chonaill agus labhair sé leo faoi mar a mhéadaigh beirt go ceathrar.  Níor tharla sé go nádúrtha, go furasta nó go gasta ach sa deireadh thiar thall d’éirigh leo beirt a uchtú, gasúr agus girseach, agus an rud is iontaí faoi nó gur deartháir agus deirfiúr iad na páistí nach raibh aithne acu ar a chéile fiú. Rinne siad clann a thabhairt le chéile arís, agus tús curtha acu lena gclann féin.

For many young couples, they generally expect that they will spend time going out, then marry and have a family, but that wasn’t to be the case for Áine Máire Uí Néill and her husband Domhnall Ó Néill.  They were crazy about each other and had the world at their feet, but things didn’t go to plan when they decided they would like to start a family.  Dónall Mac Ruairí went to meet them when they were on holidays in Loch an Iúir in the Donegal Gaeltacht, to learn about how they had created their family, adopting a boy and a girl who were brother and sister, although they had never met.