Good to know information for getting married at Ballintubber Abbey

Rehearsal

You may wish to arrange a wedding rehearsal with the priest who will be celebrating the wedding Mass.

As Ballintubber Abbey is an extremely busy church it is necessary to make contact with our office to discuss possible times.

The time of your rehearsal will then be recorded in our daily diary.

Music for the Ceremony

We ask that the music you choose for your Marriage ceremony is in keeping with the sacredness of the occasion

Couples may employ their own musicians/soloists but are urged to carefully consider the hymns to be sung during the ceremony.

Non-Sacred songs (e.g. your favorite love song) may not be used during the ceremony itself.

The Signing of the register can sometimes offer an opportunity for such favorite melodies to be played but this should be discussed with your officiating priest – if still in doubt please make contact with our office.

There is a Roland keyboard in the Sanctuary of the Abbey which may be used by Instrumentalists and Soloists. This keyboard has a range of piano and organ sounds.

A microphone, situated in the Sanctuary, is also available for use by Soloists and musicians but because of the exceptional acoustics in the Abbey, it is often not required.

Flowers, Candles

You must make your own arrangements about the floral decoration of the Abbey

In recent years candles have become popular as a means of adding beauty and atmosphere to the Abbey. Precautions must however be taken in order to ensure the safety of all.

We enclose a separate list of guidelines which we ask you to diligently forward to and discuss with your florist – this is necessary so as to fulfil Health & Safety regulations.

If you wish to leave some or all of your floral arrangements as a gift to the Abbey, we appreciate your thoughtfulness. If on the other hand you wish to use your arrangement for another purpose after the ceremony we ask you to ensure that you only remove your own arrangements and not those left as gifts from previous ceremonies.

Marriage Fee

There is a fee for the use of Ballintubber Abbey for your marriage. This fee must be paid on confirmation of the booking.

Marriage Time

When you have decided upon a time for your Marriage please notify our office.
There are no Weddings on Sundays. 
We ask brides to arrive within 10-15 minutes of marriage ceremony time. 

Altar Servers

Some couples request altar servers. It would be welcomed by us if you have a family member willing to fulfil this role. Should you require servers from Ballintubber we can facilitate you, but on non-school days only.

Booking Form

For Wedding Booking Enquiries, please contact us at our Office: +353 94-9030934

Notice to Priests

  • The woman who intends to marry must notify the priest of the parish in which she lives.
  • The man must notify the priest of the parish in which he lives.
  • This is so because it is they who will be completing the two sets of Pre-Marriage Papers.
  • Ideally this notification would be given to the relevant priest before booking Ballintubber Abbey.